


Hunger Geass

by elarielf



Series: Hunger Geass Trilogy [1]
Category: Code Geass, Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins
Genre: Anime/Book-verse, Community: cgkinkmemeii, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Is 16 underage?, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-10
Updated: 2014-02-10
Packaged: 2018-01-11 20:35:03
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 10
Words: 45,817
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1177619
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elarielf/pseuds/elarielf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Britannia has its own version of The Hunger Games, occurring annually. Area 11 has only won once before in living memory. Hopes are far from high for Suzaku and Lelouch, this year's Tributes, but they both have a plan.</p><p>Unfortunately, their plans are to lead the other to victory. Also, they can't seem to work together. Also, other Tributes have their eyes on them. Basically Suzaku's in over his head and Lelouch may have bitten off more than he can chew on this one, but neither of them are very good at resigning themselves to the inevitable.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Reaping

"Nunnally Lamperouge."

Lelouch felt his heart stop. This was… impossible. There were dozens, _hundreds_ of girls who could have been chosen, but Nunnally…

This wasn't supposed to happen. He was supposed to keep her safe. That was his job, his purpose.

The long pause after the announcement was nothing new – apart from some sick freaks, no one would participate in the Hunger Games by choice. But this time there was an added unease. Sending boys and girls to fight (and almost inevitably die if you were from Area 11) was nothing new, but everyone knew Nunnally. Everyone _liked_ Nunnally. And sending a blind, crippled girl to fight for her life was hard even for those few fans of the games to stomach.

A small, dark ball of despairing laughter welled up inside Lelouch, barely suppressed. There were only steps up to the stage, no ramp. Even if she'd wanted to, Nunnally _couldn't_ join the male Tribute, a boy about Lelouch's own age who looked vaguely familiar. They probably went to the same school, when Lelouch could be bothered to attend. They might even be in the same class. He looked so unafraid, standing there tall and unwavering, nothing like the blubbering Tribute that had been sent off last year to his death. Lelouch guiltily remembered the thrill of relief that had coursed through him as "Suzaku Kururugi" had been called out instead of his own name. And then this.

Suzaku's steady green eyes and squared shoulders gave Lelouch the strength to do what needed to be done. He bent down and kissed Nunnally's cheek. "Take care of yourself." Nunnally's hand tightened on his for a moment, but he pulled away, standing to face his mother. "You too… take care of her."

"Lelouch…"

If he hesitated a moment longer, Lelouch wasn't sure he'd be able to go through with it.

The tradition of volunteering had fallen out of favour in Area 11. Unlike some of the more… urban Areas, fighting to the death wasn't something that was considered an amusement here. Conformity, keeping your head down and doing work that was good enough to pass but not brilliant enough to stand out… those were the traits of Area 11. But there were still protocols, rules to follow, procedures in place to ensure that the reaping went smoothly, no matter what.

Lelouch planned on breaking all of them. And he planned on getting away with it.

Everyone wore their best clothes on the reaping day, mandated as if it were a day of celebration. Lelouch tore off his suit jacket and tie, undoing the top two buttons of his shirt, and quickly hunted out Milly Ashford, the mayor's daughter. He found her, near the stage, watching him with wide, frightened eyes. She was fond of him, and of Nunnally, and had often helped him skip out of classes so he could earn enough to help support his family. This would be the last time he needed her help, but it would be a big favour.

The crowd was already getting restless, shifting and searching out Nunnally, wanting the painful experience of sending a young disabled girl to her death over with, like ripping off a bandage. Lelouch didn't have much time. He moved quickly, pulling Milly behind the stage and shoving his jacket at her.

"I need your dress."

To her credit, Milly didn't ask any questions before stripping down shamelessly to her underwear and pulling on Lelouch's clothes as he handed them to her in return. "Are you sure…"

"Watch over them. Please."

"I promise."

Lelouch nodded and turned away.

"Nunnally Lamperouge!" The call came again, this time more impatient.

Lelouch took a deep breath and walked up the steps, barefoot since Milly's shoes didn't fit and men's dress shoes didn't go well with a satin and lace gown. "I would like to volunteer in Nunnally's place."

Everyone, even the so-composed Suzaku Kururugi, gaped at him over that.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

Lelouch Lamperouge. In a dress. For a moment, Suzaku thought he was seeing things.

He wore it well, for what that was worth. The cut was flattering enough to his thin waist and the supportive top hid the fact that he had no breasts quite well. His feet were ridiculous, but so was this whole situation.

The flurry of confusion would have been amusing in almost any other case but, even with everyone else's attention on Lelouch, Suzaku's gaze wandered out over the crowd, looking for…

Ah, there she was. Clutching her mother's hand and weeping, her cries audible from the stage, even over the noise of debating and gossip and even some shocked and scandalized laughter.

The first time Suzaku had met Nunnally Lamperouge, he'd been ten and she'd been eight. He'd just lost his father and was two years away from being able to sell his name to the reaping pool for tesserae, enough food to get him through the year, in theory. He was an orphan and orphans, as a rule, didn't survive. There simply wasn't enough food to go around.

It had been autumn, a few months after his father's death and just after finishing the last of the food he and his father had started storing for the winter. She had fallen out of her wheelchair and he was the only one around to see. He'd been living in isolation since his father's death, all his old friends and his father's friends keeping away from him, not wanting to see him starve to death in front of their eyes. So there was a part of him that just wanted to walk away, reject this girl as the entire community had rejected him.

But he couldn't.

After he'd helped her back into her chair, she'd held his hand and then spontaneously invited him over for supper. Lelouch hadn't been there, but Suzaku had met Nunnally's mother and had been all but adopted between the two of them by the time supper was over. It was only with their help, their charity, that Suzaku had survived that winter, with gifts of clothing and firewood and food.

In all those months, Suzaku never met Lelouch. Nunnally spoke of him, of how he worked odd clerical and logistical jobs and gambled for money and food, but he was never around when Suzaku was. The first time they met, it was well into spring, and Lelouch was checking over the more dilapidated houses (including Suzaku's) to see if they needed to be condemned.

It was clear, when those cool violet eyes landed on Suzaku's face, that Nunnally hadn't told him about Suzaku. "You live here alone?"

"Yes."

"No family?"

"No."

Lelouch had sighed. "You're too young to live in Area 11 on your own. You're going to die." Suzaku remembered feeling those words strike with the surety of inevitability. Even with Nunnally's help, his bones were closer to his skin then ever before and breathing was harder than it had been a year ago. "You should join up with one of the gangs that hunts in the forest."

It wasn't Nunnally's compassion, but it was a kind of compassion nonetheless; cold and practical, but not the nothing that the rest of the community had offered him. The next day Suzaku had snuck into the forest and found a pond filled with fish about a mile away from Area 11. He caught three of them and headed back, leaving one wrapped in papers on Nunnally's doorstep. A week later, Kallen had let him join her group and he was able to leave more small gifts for the Lamperouges.

He was almost positive that Lelouch had no idea that they were connected. That Nunnally had saved his life that year, and then Lelouch had enabled him to save himself.

And now Lelouch was saving Nunnally, or trying to. Maybe that kind of self-sacrifice was genetic.

"I'm afraid that a boy can't be our female Tribute, that's just…"

Lelouch ignored Mr. Ashford's apologetic stammering, addressing the cameras directly. "I can promise the people of Pendragon this: My death will serve you better than the slaughter of a girl in a wheelchair. If you're worried about stacking the odds with two male Tributes, then there's no need – I have about Zero chance of surviving. But…" He smiled, and Suzaku felt a shiver run through him at the cold expression. "I promise you that when I die, and until I die, I will do everything I can to entertain and amuse you."

"I don't…" The sound of a phone ringing cut Mr. Ashford off. He picked it up and listened, growing pale before he hung up. "Very well. Area 11, your Tributes."

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

Lelouch had no idea who had been on the other end of that phone call, and he didn't really care. All that mattered is that he'd succeeded. Nunnally was safe.

He stood through the speeches, the anthem, just waiting for his chance to get back to Nunnally, for that one precious hour they gave the Tributes to say goodbye. Maybe he could even give Milly back her dress and use one of his mother's older ones.

But as the last note of the anthem rang out, Mr. Ashford grabbed Lelouch's arm and pulled him to the side. "I'm afraid that you're going to need to talk to some people before you leave. This is very… irregular."

"But…" He wasn't even going to be allowed his last hour with his family. Punishment for overstepping his place?

"I can get a message to them."

Lelouch turned, more than a little surprised at being addressed by Suzaku Kururugi. Didn't he have people to go see?

"Please. Let me help."

They were going to try to kill each other in a week, but there was no reason not to accept this small token now. It wasn't like Lelouch was signing up for a real alliance. "Just tell them that this is for the best, and that I'll make my way back to them." Lelouch's lips twisted in a wry smirk at that. There was no way he was going to survive. "Also, tell my mother to let my father help them if they need it."

"…your father?"

Lelouch's father had abandoned them to return to the capitol when Lelouch was nine. He still sent the odd care package – money, food, clothing – when things were especially scarce, but Lelouch had worked hard to ensure that he wouldn't have to anymore. The last care package had been over a year ago. Lelouch hated getting them. He would rather think of his father as dead.

"Can you just tell them?"

"Right. Sorry." Suzaku hesitated. "I…"

"Just go."

Mr Ashford watched Suzaku go with a small smile. "That's the way things should be. Solidarity within the Area, teamwork…"

"…until one of us knifes the other in the back," Lelouch finished for him.

The smile disappeared. "Here, talk." He passed the phone to Lelouch.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Lelouch Lamperouge, female Tribute from Area 11." Lelouch felt his face settle into a scowl. "I must say, that was quite the impressive performance, one that we couldn't turn down."

"…thank you."

"Oh, come now, you must know that you're only going to the games instead of your lovely little sister out of the goodness of our hearts. Be a little more… _genuine_. Entertain us, Lelouch. Like you promised."

Lelouch closed his eyes and took a deep breath, just like he had before walking onto the stage. "I'm grateful, really. And I assume you have some orders for me to follow in return?"

"You _are_ a clever one. The rules for you are simple. You're a girl now. You will talk like one, walk like one, act like one, and look like one. I want the audience to look at you and see femininity personified. Years from now, no one will even remember you, or the fact that a boy took a girl's spot as a tribute, because you will convince everyone that you _are_ a girl. Understood?"

"Perfectly. Ah… during the games as well, I imagine."

"Of course."

There were some issues with that – certain bodily functions that worked differently with him than they would with a girl. Nevertheless… "You will not be disappointed."

"I expect not. After all, just because your sister isn't a Tribute, that doesn't mean she's safe."

"…understood."

There was a small sound of satisfaction, and Lelouch allowed himself to hate whoever was on the other end of the line for a brief, glorious moment. Then he forced himself to return to his usual apathy. "Is that all?"

"I assume you'd like to make your final farewells, then?"

"Yes. Please."

"Too bad. You have fifty-five minutes to make yourself look feminine and not like a sixteen-year-old boy in a dress. Use them wisely, Lelouch."

The line went dead and Lelouch handed the phone back to Mr. Ashford. "I need to speak with Milly."

Before the man could answer, Milly poked her head around the corner. "I'm here, Lelouch."

Lelouch let his mask fall, trusting Milly enough not to judge him. "You always wanted to dress me up and make me pretty. Here's your chance."

Milly laughed, but it sounded oddly like a sob.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

After getting Lelouch's message to his sister and mother, Suzaku was at loose ends. Kallen was nowhere to be found, and there wasn't really anyone else Suzaku needed to say goodbye to. He wished he had something to give to Nunnally, even just a token.

All he could offer was the promise that he'd watch over her brother and do his best to protect him and make sure he came back to them.

At least then Suzaku's death would have some meaning.

About fifteen minutes before he was scheduled to go, Kallen found him. "Suzaku!"

"Kallen. Where were you?" Until then, Suzaku hadn't realized how much he wanted to talk to her, one last time.

"Getting this." Kallen clipped a small pin onto his shirt. "You're allowed to take one token from your Area."

Suzaku looked at it. It was copper and cheap-looking, with green and black discoloration marring it, but it was obviously well-loved and treasured. "What is it?"

"Suzaku." Kallen smiled at Suzaku's confused expression. "The Guardian God of the South. I just thought… maybe he'd protect you. Because… you know…"

It was sweet. And probably as close as Kallen would ever get to saying she cared about him. "Thanks. I'll treasure it." The Peacekeepers were moving towards them, and Suzaku knew his time was up. "Look, no matter what happens, I'm really glad I had the chance to run with you guys."

Kallen grabbed him in a sudden, fierce hug. "You're better than the rest of them, Suzaku. Take them out, take them _all_ out, and come home."

"I…" Suzaku couldn't promise that. Not if he was going with Lelouch. "Thank you, Kallen." The Peacekeepers took him by the arm and led him away. He could hear Kallen yelling after him, something about how he'd better not take the easy way out, but he couldn't hear the words clearly. Besides, it hardly made sense – the easy way out would have been dying when he was ten.

Lelouch joined him on the train platform, still barefoot but owning it somehow, as if that was the proper way to look. He looked the same, mostly, but there was something different about him. His aura, his attitude, something… His chin was up and he looked as arrogant as ever, but somehow also softer and prettier…

Like a real girl, albeit a cold and commanding one.

There were cameras everywhere, and Suzaku tried to follow Lelouch's lead and keep a straight face, a calm façade for the media. But he couldn't help stealing glances as Lelouch every now and again, trying to reconcile this odd, ephemeral beauty with the determined, self-sufficient boy he'd met only a few times in his life.

He didn't know what to say. _I think you saved my life. I_ know _your sister did_. Lelouch probably didn't even remember him. He certainly hadn't seemed to recognize him. Maybe this was for the best. Maybe if they just pretended that they were nothing to each other, they could make it through this.

Well, Lelouch could. Suzaku planned on keeping him safe and getting him back to Nunnally, as he had promised. He knew full well that that meant he wouldn't leave the games alive, and he was okay with that.

The train arrived and they were ushered in, each to their own room. Lelouch immediately ducked into his and closed the door. Suzaku hesitated outside his own room, suddenly overwhelmed by everything that was happening.

Maybe this was why they only gave the Tributes an hour. So that when the panic and reality set in, they were already on the train, moving 250mph towards the capitol.

Suzaku threw up in the toilet and then checked the clock. Two hours until he had to be in the dining car for supper.

He decided to take a shower.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

Lelouch arrived to supper early, but he wasn't the first one there.

"Oh, good. I was hoping to catch you early." Area 11's escort, a prim, serious young woman named Cecile Croomy, smiled at Lelouch. Lelouch smiled back, reflexively, feeling something unknot in his stomach. Better her than Suzaku. "I've been briefed about your… issue, and I'm eager to help." She pursed her lips. "No shoes your size in your room?"

Lelouch let his smile turn wry. "No. Probably there's a pair or two in Suzaku's, but…"

"Yes, hardly feminine." Cecile sighed.

"I don't mind walking around barefoot," Lelouch said. There had been outfits with trousers and simple blouses, but Lelouch had chosen another dress simply because he knew he needed to get used to this – the mentality as well as the practicalities of being a girl. "But there was a thing of make-up and I…"

Cecile beamed, clearly overjoyed at finding something to do to help. "We'll experiment after supper."

"Thank you."

They sat at the table, chatting about nothing in particular (Lelouch steered the conversation away from family and friends and Area 11, and that left little to talk about) when Suzaku walked in, his hair still wet from the shower, looking remarkably handsome in clothes that were just slightly too tight on him.

"Am I late?"

"Not at all." Cecile tsked lightly. "Haven't you even been taught how to use a towel?"

Suzaku blushed. "Uh…" Clearly, the answer was no.

"Never mind, just take a seat."

As Suzaku sat, Lelouch smiled at him. "Did you get the message to my sister and mother?"

Suzaku nodded. "Yeah, they said… they wished you luck."

"Thanks," Lelouch said curtly. Even as grateful as he was that he'd been able to at least say goodbye through Suzaku, that didn't mean that he wasn't above using him for other things.

Cecile looked at her watch, a fancy-looking delicate silver thing. "I do hope Lloyd isn't…"

Lloyd Asplund, Area 11's only living Hunger Games victor, was, to put it kindly, nuts. Lelouch had done the occasional odd job for him, until he'd been dismissed as an 'inferior part', and the man had the strangest things in his house. Over the past few years, after his victory a decade and a half ago, everyone in Area 11 had learned to ignore the occasional strange sounds and explosions that came from the victor's village at the edge of the Area.

Rumour had it that the games had made Lloyd go mad. Rumour also had it that he was insane before, and that was how he won. Either way, Lelouch wasn't planning on relying on him.

The food arrived before he did, and Lelouch watched Cecile closely, mimicking her actions from placing his napkin on his lap, to how she held her spoon. He would eat like a proper lady. She noticed sometime during the main course and smiled approvingly. Lelouch inclined his head slightly.

Just as the dessert was being cleared away, Lloyd arrived. "Oh, did I miss supper?"

"I can fix you something from the kitchens," Cecile offered.

A look of horror crossed Lloyd's face. "No, that's… I had a big lunch." He looked over Suzaku and Lelouch. "So these are the Tributes…" He heaved a sigh. "Weak and dim. Fantastic."

Suzaku looked faintly confused, and Lelouch bit back a smile – way to verify Lloyd's first impression. "I prefer to go by 'Lelouch'. And he's Suzaku."

"Weak and Dim are easier to remember, and easier to forget once you're nothing more than a face projected on the night sky."

"Hey…" Suzaku protested.

"Hush, Dim." Lloyd flipped the chair around and sat on it backwards, resting his chin on the back. "Together, you'd make a formidable team. But what are the odds of two Tributes actually cooperating?"

Suzaku's eyes met Lelouch's, warm and hopeful. Lelouch looked away. "Not great."

"Exactly. And on you own, you two are doomed."

He had a point. Lelouch let himself look back at Suzaku, considering his options. Suzaku was just clueless enough that he could be useful, a guard and shield until they were the last two standing, and then a back ready for a blade. It could work, however…

For some reason he didn't understand himself, the thought of using and betraying Suzaku didn't sit well with Lelouch. Then again, Suzaku wasn't the only option. They would arrive at Pendragon by noon, and Lelouch could have his pick of the other Tributes as tools once they were there.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

Lelouch's immediate and easy rejection stung, a little. Not that Suzaku had expected Lelouch to go along with Lloyd's idea. After all, as far as Lelouch knew, both he and Suzaku were fighting to win.

Suzaku wasn't, though. He was fighting to give Nunnally back her brother. He was the one person Lelouch could trust.

But Lelouch would never believe that. And Suzaku didn't really even expect him to. Why would he?

Cecile and Lelouch returned to Lelouch's room soon enough after Lloyd's arrival, saying something about practicing and make-up. Suzaku, still a little unnerved by Lelouch in a dress (and how weirdly appropriate and attractive it was) didn't ask any questions. Instead, as soon as they were out of sight and out of hearing range, he took Lloyd aside.

"I want to do what you said."

"…what? When did I say anything?"

Suzaku set his jaw. "I want to team up with Lelouch. I want to protect him–"

"Her."

"…what?"

"You want to protect _her_. The rules are clear – one male Tribute and one female Tribute."

"But Lelouch is–"

"The rules," Lloyd said, slowly and carefully. "Are clear. The first thing you can do for Lelouch is to remember and follow the rules. The second thing is to remember that she's much _much_ smarter than you and to follow her lead."

Suzaku nodded eagerly. "What else?"

Lloyd sighed. "Are you sure about this? I mean, it works out _great_ for me – it's far easier to sell a team than it is to sell individuals, and we can easily make up a compelling backstory as to why you two are in this together instead of competing, but… Lelouch didn't seem too enthused by the suggestion. She's as likely as not planning on selling you out as soon as it's convenient."

"If that's what it takes…" Suzaku looked up at Lloyd, determined. "Only one of us can walk out of there. I know that. I just want to make sure in the end it's him. Her. Lelouch. So tell me what I need to do to make sure h-she gets out of this alive and back to her family."

"That's it for now. Talk to her about strategy tomorrow, and I might be able to advise you further." Lloyd grinned suddenly. "Ooh, finally, a real chance at taking home a winner!" He rubbed his hands together, cackling crazily as he walked off.

Suzaku watched him go, more than a little perturbed. Maybe placing his fate, and Lelouch's, in this man's hands wasn't the best idea.

It was too early to go to bed, so Suzaku watched the footage of the other tributes. The boy from Area 1 looked normal enough, but the girl looked soft and pretty and kind, and not like a fighter at all. No one stood up to volunteer for either of their spots. The volunteer Tributes from Area 2 were, as expected, terrifying. The girl looked almost six feet tall and more muscled than Suzaku, and the boy, while smaller and softer in appearance, had the eager eyes of a sadistic psychopath. The other tributes seemed mostly the typical average kids, with some exceptions (a girl with a deformed hand from Area 4, a young boy with dead eyes from Area 10) and there were no more volunteers.

Suzaku memorized the faces of the Area 2 Tributes (and realized that he'd also spontaneously memorised the pretty girl from Area 1) and went to bed. He'd have something to tell Lelouch tomorrow, when he offered his alliance, a token gift of information. Lelouch would no doubt appreciate that.

The bed was too soft, so Suzaku pulled off the silky sheets and warm covers and made a nest on the carpeted floor. Even with the rumbling of the train reverberating from the floor, this was the most luxurious bed Suzaku had ever slept in. It even smelled nice, like lavender and lemon, neither scent one that Suzaku knew from his life's experience, but both instinctively calming. Warm and full and with a set plan for tomorrow, Suzaku found that he was able to sleep quite readily, and if he dreamed, he didn't remember it.


	2. The Arrangement

"Rise and shine!" Cecile burst into Lelouch's rooms in a whirlwind of energy and enthusiasm. "Today we reach the capitol and you'll want to look your best."

Lelouch uncurled from the soft sheets and even softer pillows, blinking blearily. It occurred to him that, apart from the thin panties he'd worn as underwear, he was naked. "Cecile, I know I'm the female Tribute, but I'm not actually a girl."

"Hush, none of that," Cecile chided. "I'm here to help, and even naked boy bits won't stop me from doing my job."

"What dedication," Lelouch said wryly and kicked the covers off. Cecile maintained eye contact.

"Alright, shower first, and we'll see what we can do about that hair."

Lelouch took longer in the shower than he needed to, luxuriating in the warm cascade of water that massaged his body and warmed and softened his skin. The shampoos and soaps smelled ridiculous, but after he used them and rinsed off, he realised he'd never really been clean before, just varying degrees of more-to-less dirty.

Remembering Cecile's jab about towel use to Suzaku, Lelouch grabbed the fluffy white thing and viciously rubbed at his head. He was just starting to get a headache when Cecile opened the door.

"Oh, no, don't…" Cecile snatched the towel out of Lelouch's hands, leaving him naked and dripping. "Honestly, _boys_." She shook her head. "So rough." She wrapped the towel around Lelouch's waist and steered him out of the bathroom, sitting him in front of the vanity and running her fingers through his hair.

It felt nice. Almost all his irritation with her melted away as she rubbed in some foamy white stuff and played around with his hair for a good ten minutes. She sighed as she finished. "I wish you had pierced ears. Earrings would look so good with this hairstyle."

Lelouch looked at his reflection, and had to admit he looked like a girl from the neck up. His hair looked softer and shinier, falling around his face to accent his cheekbones rather than just randomly wherever it felt like falling. Cecile opened the lipstick. "Let's see you do it this time."

With a careful, steady hand, Lelouch coloured his top lip, then his bottom, pursing them together and blotting them out on a tissue. Cecile wiped over the odd smudge and smiled proudly. "Now the eyeliner."

Once Lelouch was made up and dressed, it was time for breakfast. Lelouch checked himself in the mirror, one last time, and saw an eerie shorthaired ghost of his memories of his mother from when he was young. "This is… incredible."

"Now if only we could find you some shoes…" Cecile smiled. "Ah, never mind. We should go eat. Remember, watch your make-up. Don't touch your face or it will smear."

Suzaku shoved a mug into Lelouch's hands as soon as he entered the dining car. "You _have_ to try this."

The drink was warm and sweet, with a flavour Lelouch had never tasted before. He nearly burnt his tongue trying to get more. Suzaku grinned at him. "It's called hot chocolate." The grin faded. "Uh… are you wearing lipstick?"

"And eyeliner and blush." Lelouch smiled over his mug. "What do you think?"

Suzaku blushed. It was rather… interesting. But then again, he tended to blush easily. "It's… you look pretty."

"Thank you." There wasn't much else Lelouch could say to that. It wasn't _exactly_ the kind of compliment he wanted to get, but it was what he'd been going for. He just wished it hadn't bee quite so easy.

Lloyd cleared his throat. "And on that civilized and saccharine note, let's discuss your alliance."

"Our what?" Lelouch demanded. "I thought we agreed that that wasn't going to happen."

" _You_ agreed," Lloyd corrected. "Suzaku had a somewhat different opinion, and I think his is more valid."

Lelouch shot a glare at Suzaku, who at least had the grace to look abashed. "I'm sorry, but I think Lloyd's right. We need each other to survive."

How absurd. "And what if, best case scenario, we're the last two left standing? Considering you could probably break me over your knee, that leaves me at something of a disadvantage."

Suzaku shook his head. "I wouldn't."

He seemed so… sincere, so honest. And a boy who blushed as readily as Suzaku did wasn't likely to be a skilled liar.

And even if he was… Lelouch was pretty sure he was better.

"Alright, fine. Area 11, alliance." Lelouch sat down. "Where should we start?"

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

Suzaku let Lelouch and Lloyd hammer out the details. He already knew what he had to do – follow Lelouch's lead and Lloyd's instructions. He did offer to go over the information on the other Tributes, but Lelouch had them all (all twenty-two of them) memorized, including their appearance, their visible strengths and weaknesses, and what little was known about them from ambush interviews of their loved ones.

Or, in the case of the Tributes from Area 2, their competitors.

Lloyd did that creepy cackle again and the two of them settled down to talk strategy. Suzaku tried to follow, but he kept getting people mixed up and had nothing really to add.

Instead, he just watched Lelouch.

For someone who'd been so sure he had a Zero chance of survival, he was certainly working hard at not dying. It was good to see, that thirst for life. It would make it easier to protect him.

Her.

This was hard.

The car went dark, all the outside light suddenly disappearing and only the dim interior lighting remaining. Suzaku moved before thinking, instincts from hunting taking over as he plastered his back to the wall and tried to see if anything (like a hovercraft) was coming for them.

"We're going through a tunnel," Lloyd said casually. "That means we'll arrive at the capitol in about an hour."

Lelouch bit his lower lip. "I should go freshen up."

Lloyd shrugged. "The capitol is pretty big. We'll enter the city limits in an hour, but we won't arrive at our destination for at least two."

The idea of a city so huge that it would take hours to travel through it in a train like this was incredible to Suzaku.

Lelouch stood. "I think I want to be ready as soon as we hit the capitol. Gird my loins, and all that." Lloyd shrugged and waved him off. Lelouch turned to Suzaku. "Would you like to come?"

The invitation was unexpected and a little unnerving. "Yeah." But Suzaku would take whatever Lelouch offered him.

Lelouch's room was identical to Suzaku's, and only smelled slightly different, the scent of powder and sunshine from the south-west facing window and something that must have just been Lelouch. The bed was made and nothing was out of place, but there was only one chair. Suzaku hesitated, not sure what he was meant to do.

Fortunately, Lelouch made up his mind for him, sitting on the bed and patting the mattress beside him. Suzaku sat.

"I… I wanted to talk to you privately," Lelouch said, his voice soft with unusual tentativeness. "About what you've done for me… giving Nunnally and my mother my last message. That really does mean a lot, Suzaku."

Suzaku felt something warm and heavy settle in his chest. "It was nothing."

"It was _vital_ to me," Lelouch corrected. "They're all I have. They're everything to me. And I just…"

He turned towards Suzaku, taking his hands. "I'm not going to make it. I've realized that from the first. But _you_ can." Suzaku opened his mouth to protest, and found Lelouch's finger in the way. "Shh, just listen. I know I can trust you, Suzaku. And I know that if you make it, and if I've helped you, you'll honour that as best you can. So please, if I can help you win these games, please watch over my mother and sister for me."

Suzaku wanted to argue. To tell Lelouch that he would do everything in his power to make sure that Lelouch was the one returning to Nunnally. But his mouth was dry and Lelouch's finger was soft and he smelled really good…

"Please, Suzaku."

Lelouch's soft plea sent an inappropriate jolt through Suzaku's groin. Suzaku closed his eyes and tried to convince himself not to fall for Lelouch. He wasn't even a real girl!

Not that it mattered. One way or the other, at most only one of them would be alive at the end of the games.

Suzaku smiled and relaxed and let himself feel whatever he felt. It couldn't hurt, and might even help.

"I promise, Lelouch. I'll do whatever you need me to."

That clearly was not the answer Lelouch was expecting. His eyes widened, the fake softness disappearing as they searched Suzaku's face suspiciously. Suzaku felt his smile widen – this was the real Lelouch, the one who coolly suggested to a young orphan that he find a way to survive and then walked away.

And, oddly enough, Suzaku was just as attracted to him as he was to the softer, feminine Lelouch.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

What was Suzaku's game? First the insistence on an alliance, and then his easy promises, as if they cost him nothing to make. As if just making them made him happy. Lelouch didn't believe for a second that Suzaku was a manipulative super-genius, hiding a cold killer under his cheery exterior. The odds of Area 11 sending the perfect combination of a clever, strong, handsome Tribute were…

About as low as the odds of Nunnally's name being picked.

Lelouch's mind veered away from that thought. Maybe Suzaku was just dim, as Lloyd had labelled him.

Suzaku reached out and touched Lelouch's arm. Lelouch jerked back, instinctively tensing as if he could fight off anything Suzaku chose to throw at him.

"You okay?"

All Lelouch could read in Suzaku's eyes and warm voice was concern. Damn him.

Lelouch smiled. "I really do need to freshen up. Meet me in the dining car in half an hour."

Suzaku was waiting for him, his usual bright, innocent smile lighting up his face upon seeing Lelouch. If it was an act, it was a consistent one. Lelouch swallowed his suspicions and just let himself be glad that Suzaku was naturally charismatic and boyishly attractive. Britannian citizens had the option of sponsoring Tributes, paying into a fund that allowed their mentor (Lloyd, in this case) to send them needed supplies. With Suzaku's charm and good looks, he could easily net a few rich older women.

Lelouch, a freak of a boy dressed up as a girl, would have it less easy. But that didn't mean he couldn't use Suzaku to his own advantage.

He opened the drapes wide on one of the windows, checking to see if could catch a glimpse of the outer walls of the city. Not yet.

"Here." He patted the seat beside him. "Kneel here and wait. Lloyd said that there are often crowds waiting to wave at the train as it rolls by. We're going to wave back."

"…why?"

Lelouch smiled. "First impressions, Suzaku. Area 11 isn't exactly a favoured Area. If we're going to get sponsors, we need all the attention we can get."

Suzaku snorted. "You didn't see your reaping. I can promise you that you got people's attention."

That wasn't exactly a good thing. The kind of attention that a rebellious, arrogant kid from the outlying Areas got was never positive. "…fine. Then this is my chance to make a better second impression."

Suzaku's smile was fond, and Lelouch had to look away. Charming as he may have been, Suzaku was still a potential enemy. Every time he looked at Lelouch like that, like he _cared_ about him for some unfathomable reason, it made Lelouch nervous. "We're coming up to the city limits."

That made Suzaku's smile falter and Lelouch sighed. "Try not to look like you're going to your death, Suzaku."

Suzaku shot him a look, then laughed. "Your sense of humour sucks."

"Made _you_ laugh." And then they entered the city, surrounded suddenly by huge, improbably designed buildings, colourful and clean and nothing like the white-and-dun shacks that made up Area 11. For a long moment, Lelouch forgot about their audience, forgot to smile and wave as he gaped at the richness and majesty of the capitol city. Pendragon. The home of the people who almost sent his sister to be brutally murdered.

That thought brought him back, and he forced a smile on his face, waving with one hand as he pinched Suzaku with the other. Suzaku jumped and gathered himself as well, mirroring Lelouch's wave but wrapping his free hand around Lelouch's waist.

"What are you doing?"

"I feel like I'm going to fall out."

Lelouch knew what he meant; it was easy to forget, even looking out the window of the train as they drove through the deserted plains and mountain ranges, that they were moving faster than anything they'd ever seen before. But now, despite the fact that Lelouch was certain they'd gradually slowed down over the past half-hour or so, watching the people and buildings whiz by was making him a bit sick.

He moved his hand up, half hugging Suzaku with a firm grip on his shoulder.

"I've got you."

"Thank–" Suzaku turned his head and suddenly their noses were touching, soft and smooth, and a sensation Lelouch had never felt before shivered down his spine. He turned away as quickly as he could, dropping his arm.

Suzaku's hand stayed right where it was.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

This was bad.

Suzaku was beginning to think he had stage fright. Of all the threats that being a Tribute necessarily implied, putting on a show hadn't been one that Suzaku had given much thought to.

Lelouch, on the other hand, clearly had.

From the moment he'd stepped on stage in Milly's borrowed dress, his head held high as he took his sister's place, Lelouch had been performing. He hadn't even bothered to make his arguments for the mayor or Cecile, but addressed the camera directly – either the capitol or the gamemakers themselves. Such audacity, such confidence…

Suzaku had watched it in real time, but he hadn't understood what he was seeing. It was only when it was rebroadcast, and Suzaku watched it from the perspective of the audience that he realized how brave and bold Lelouch was, the way he never faltered, as if he knew he could get away with this. Like he was entitled to it, simply because he was Lelouch.

And everything since then – the dresses, the make-up, the smiles, the soft voice and the graceful movements and the sultry looks… Lelouch had been acting this whole time. There had been glimpses of the real Lelouch – cold eyes searching Suzaku's face for any sign of duplicity, genuine smiles of pleasure at some of the food, a quick and sharp mind behind the simpering façade… But mostly the Lelouch Suzaku had come to know over the past two days was a total fraud.

It wasn't a comfortable realization.

That, coupled with the stage fright (and the thousands of eyes staring at them as they moved through the city, gawking at the latest sacrifices), and the dizzying speed at which they were moving, made Suzaku nauseous. He leaned closer to Lelouch and breathed in his scent. His eyes and ears might trick him, but Suzaku had other senses that were more honest.

And under the rose-scented soaps, Lelouch still smelled like Lelouch. His own unique scent mingled with the scent of Area 11.

Suzaku wanted to kiss him.

He almost did.

But the look of surprised horror on Lelouch's face when their noses had brushed made it clear that such advances were not welcome. The way Lelouch released his hold on Suzaku was just as clear, although at least he didn't move away,letting Suzaku's arm stay where it was, with his hand resting just above Lelouch's hip.

Even knowing that Lelouch was a completely fake didn't stop this tactile connection to him from being comforting. He was probably the last person from his Area that Suzaku would ever see. That, in and of itself, meant something.

The train pulled into the station, and Lloyd and Cecile were there, checking them over. Well, Cecile checked Lelouch over, retouching his make-up and reminding him to talk to his stylist about shoes, and Suzaku was stuck with Lloyd.

"You look a little green around the gills, boy."

"I feel a little green," Suzaku admitted. "Maybe I should get Cecile to give me a tip or two about make-up as well."

"No," Lelouch said, clearly having overheard their conversation. "It's best that you look a little unsteady. Area 11 isn't known for having strong contenders, so even with your obvious physical prowess there's a chance you might be underestimated. Work that angle."

Suzaku was a little puffed that Lelouch thought his physical prowess was obvious. Lloyd smirked. "That certainly perked you right up."

Lelouch sighed and smiled with affectionate exasperation. "Honestly, are you just contrary for the fun of it?"

Suzaku felt himself blush. The last thing he wanted to tell Lelouch was that his compliment had made Suzaku feel all warm and fuzzy. "Sorry. I'll try harder."

"You'd better. You were the one who wanted this alliance, remember?"

"I remember." Suzaku invoked the memory of all those gaping faces, the buildings that could probably hold a million people, and the fact that he was relying on someone who was perpetually lying to him.

Lelouch made a soft, almost discomforted, sound. "Impressive. Can you cry on command as well?"

"Probably." Tears had always come easily to Suzaku. Considering he could still catch a fish or take down a wild dog while crying, he never really considered it a weakness. "Should I?"

"No. Just keep looking… overwhelmed."

Easy enough.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

Lelouch found himself relieved to be separated from Suzaku. It was just taking too much energy to watch him and watch himself.

Although being stripped naked and having all the hair ripped from his body by a team of over-excited stylist apprentices wasn't exactly a breeze either. They even waxed between his buttcheeks, and _that_ was outright painful. But at least none of them seemed upset at having to deal with a male.

When his stylist walked in, he hoped there was an error. From the look on her face, so did she.

"Female Tribute from Area 11?"

"Yes."

"Huh."

"…if this makes you uncomfortable…" Something about her gave Lelouch the creeps. She seemed to be modified, like a lot of the capitol citizens, with bright green hair and golden eyes, but her unnatural colouring and bearing seemed… like they'd naturally occurred. Like her hair was _supposed_ to be an impossible shade of green, her eyes were _supposed_ to make her look like a cat.

She looked up at him, and Lelouch had the uncomfortable feeling she'd read his mind. "Insert comment about me having seen more impressive… specimens."

Or maybe she was just going to make penis jokes.

"Insert typical rebuttal about proper use of said specimens trumping the size."

She laughed. "I'm C.C. I'll be your stylist."

"Lelouch. But you probably already knew that."

"I did indeed. And I must say that, as much as I was looking forward to this challenge, it doesn't seem like it will be as difficult as it sounded. You're very pretty."

"…thanks?"

"I don't know if that was actually a compliment, considering you're a guy." C.C. frowned. "We're going to have to do something about that hair, though. Who hacked it like that?"

On of her assistants tittered, and Lelouch bristled slightly. He thought Cecile had done a pretty good job with it. "I cut it myself." He also cut Nunnally's hair and, occasionally, their mother's. He would admit that, generally, he did a better job on theirs.

"It shows." C.C. reached out and touched Lelouch for the first time, roughly checking the length of his hairs against each other. It didn't feel nearly as soothing and comforting as Cecile's hands had been. "I do wish it were longer, but we can work with this. Scissors."

The entire process was like that – impersonal and occasionally rough, but never cruel, which was a nice surprise. If Lelouch thought he'd been clean before, he'd never been _exfoliated_. He could feel the very air with a renewed sensitivity, and the pallor that he'd inherited from his mother made his skin seem to glow once the pink marks from being deep-cleansed faded.

C.C. smiled, small and satisfied at the end result. "Oh, yes. Very pretty indeed." Her eyes dropped just below Lelouch's waist, and Lelouch fought not to cover himself up. "I suppose _that_ rules out any tight or see-through clothing…"

Lelouch set his jaw, swallowing hard. This didn't matter; nothing mattered. He would be dead in about a week. "You can remove it if it's an issue."

There was a long, heavy moment of silence, from C.C. and all her assistants. Then she smiled again, only this time it looked sad. "You really do think the worst of us, don't you?"

Lelouch didn't answer. It was true, but agreeing would only make things worse. It hardly mattered what she did to him. Even if she were as kind and gentle as possible, she'd still be sending him to his death.

C.C. reached up and cupped his cheek. "We have a contract, you and I. As long as I'm your stylist, I am your ally."

Not a friend, but an ally. Lelouch could accept that, more readily than he could accept an alliance with Suzaku. "I understand."

"I will make you shine. And in return," C.C. said, "you will make my creations shine."

It was easy enough to understand that; working together meant they'd both gain. "I accept this contract."

"Good, now… brace yourself. It takes a real man to wear heels."

Lelouch stared at her incredulously, hoping this was a joke at his expense, a way of breaking the tension.

It wasn't.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

Area 11 was known for its _sakuradite_ mines, a source of energy for the most advanced electronic equipment and most military machines. _Sakuradite_ ore was pink. Therefore Area 11 costumes were traditionally…

Pink.

Suzaku hadn't thought he had strong opinions about fashion. Clothes were to protect you from the cold or branches or rough surfaces. But it turned out he didn't like pink.

The cut wasn't bad, at least, easy to move in and it covered him completely. The outfit itself was one piece, tight and zipped up in the front, with a high collar and elevator shoes. Suzaku was a little perturbed by the shoes, until he remembered that Lelouch was a little taller than him, and they'd probably want to hide that.

Apart from the pink, the material was impressively comfortable – not too warm or cloying, soft and smooth against his skin, and it moved easily when he did. There were clear lines running over the material at his shoulders, over his chest, around his waist, but nothing on his arms or legs. Suzaku played with those just once, flicking at them, until his stylist slapped his hands. It was amazing how relaxed they were with him, as if the fact that he'd be killing people in less than a week meant nothing to them.

_I could kill you all_ , Suzaku thought idly. _Run off and leave a trail of bodies in my wake until they caught me and put me down. But you'd still be dead._

He smiled at his stylist as he positioned him on the chariot.

"Ah, here she comes…" Lelouch and his stylist walked out to join them. Where the pink outfit looked somewhat ridiculous on Suzaku, on Lelouch it made him look soft and ephemeral, like a pixie or fairy. His hair was cut shorter and framed his face, accenting his cheekbones and lips, but it was his eyes that stood out – large and bright, contrasting and complimented with the pink dress.

No, not a dress, Suzaku realized. A gown.

It was covered with the same clear lines as Suzaku's, only Lelouch's were on his skirt and threaded through his hair. His stylist helped him up, and it was only when he stood beside Suzaku that Suzaku realized that, despite the elevator shoes, they were the same height.

"Heels?"

"No comment."

Suzaku grinned and fingered the long clip-on earring that draped down to Lelouch's shoulder. It was made of the same clear stuff that covered their clothes. "You look pretty."

"You look ridiculous," Lelouch returned, and their eyes met and suddenly they were both laughing.

The chariot lurched into motion, and Suzaku grabbed Lelouch's hand. Lelouch looked at him, wide-eyed and confused, but his fingers wrapped around Suzaku's hand in return and he didn't pull away. Or let go.

It was enough to give Suzaku the strength to turn to the crowd and smile and wave, like in the train.

The procession wasn't long, but Area 11 was near the rear, so the sun was already setting by the time they reached the waiting crowds. Normally, having gone through ten other Areas worth of Tributes, the audience would be winding down, but they still seemed oddly perky. Suzaku waved and smiled and turned to Lelouch.

And then he realized why.

Lelouch was glowing. His hair, his earrings, his gown, every one of the little clear lines were glowing like captured fireflies, only in a soft pink. Suzaku's chest was similarly glowing, he only now noticed, the lines looking oddly like…

They were a circuit. An open circuit. That would close when Suzaku's glowy pattern merged with Lelouch's, and the symbolism was rather blatant. Suzaku grinned and released Lelouch's hand to snake around his waist. He felt Lelouch's surprised gasp as he tensed, and then slowly relaxed, bringing his arm up to rest his hand on Suzaku's shoulder.

The crowd cheered wildly. Suzaku's waves grew broader, more exuberant, as Lelouch's became more demure and restrained. Suzaku caught a glimpse of them and they really did look like two pieces of a puzzle, incomplete without each other, fair and lovely – a Lord and his Lady.

They stopped at their position in line, between Areas 10 and 12, and Lelouch rested his head in the crook of Suzaku's neck. Under the sounds of cheering, Suzaku could hear Lelouch's voice, dark and warm.

"I hope you know what you've gotten us into, Kururugi."


	3. The Rift

Dinner went by smoothly enough, with Suzaku shooting Lelouch occasional bewildered, almost hurt looks. Lelouch ignored him, mulling over their performance at the opening.

Matching outfits were standard, but paired ones were… pointless. No one would ever be willing to buy into the idea that any of the Tributes were truly together, except…

Apparently they had. They'd cheered at the bond between him and Suzaku, fake and fabricated as it was. They'd filled in the blanks and come out with a romance where none existed, the kind of tragedy that ignited the imagination and made hearts flutter. And they'd rewarded him and Suzaku for that, applauding and cheering and raising their profile. Suzaku's arm around Lelouch's waist, Lelouch's head on Suzaku's shoulder… those small gestures that spoke of a connection that wasn't even there.

But Lelouch had no moral compunction against lying to the rich, spoiled audience who would inevitable cheer his death.

Lloyd raised an eloquent eyebrow at Lelouch as he walked in, and Lelouch just shrugged. "It wasn't my idea." He sighed. "But I can work with it."

"What are you talking about?" Suzaku asked, sounding lost. Lelouch continued to ignore him.

They were joined by the stylist teams, and C.C.'s smirk was the last thing Lelouch wanted to see over the supper table. But C.C. sat herself in just the right spot that Lelouch had to choose between looking at her or looking at Suzaku's bewildered expression.

Either way, his appetite would be ruined.

"Those costumes were marvellous!" Cecile gushed as C.C. sat down. "How did you make them glow?"

"Light-sensitive phosphorous," C.C. said. "The pattern matches the core luminous used in the seventh generation Knightmares."

"Wow. You guys really thought this out," Suzaku said, impressed. Lelouch rolled his eyes and hid a small smile, remembering the warmth in Suzaku's voice as he called him 'pretty'. Suzaku was easily impressed.

The realization that they'd been dressed in weapon components hit Lelouch sometime around dessert. Was there a hidden message there or…

No, probably not. Most likely C.C. had just taken an aesthetic design and copied it. Such a message would be far too subtle to actually get across, and there was no reason for someone like C.C., living a life of complete security and luxury, to risk a dissident message actually getting noticed by the powers-that-were.

"You look troubled," Cecile said softly, her hand light on Lelouch's forearm. "Is the food too rich?"

Lelouch caught C.C.'s eye and had that horrible sensation that she was reading his mind again. She smiled.

"The boy princess is clearly overstimulated. Perhaps it's time to retire."

Lelouch was used to four or five hours of sleep a night, and working all out the entire time he was awake. As draining as this day had been, it was hardly more tiring than his normal life. And the way C.C. had called him the 'boy princess' was… kind of insulting. Lelouch opened his mouth to tell her off.

"I'm beat too," Suzaku said before Lelouch got anything out. "And tomorrow we start training. We'll definitely want to be at our best for that."

Lelouch couldn't disagree. While he didn't think for a second that he would find a hidden talent that could save his life, what he did think he could manage was figuring out the other Tributes, assessing for risks and maybe even undermining any interest they had in Suzaku. As they walked back to their rooms, Lelouch was overcome by sudden doubt. "Suzaku…"

"Yes?" Suzaku asked, looking concerned and as sincere as ever.

Lelouch bit his lip. He _had_ to trust him. "I just… please tell me again. That you'll take care of Nunnally for me."

Suzaku smiled softly and shook his head. "Lelouch, I already told you. I'll do anything you need me to. Anything at all." He reached up and brushed his thumb along Lelouch's cheek, no doubt smearing the blush that covered up Lelouch's actual flushed face.

"I…"

Lelouch had thought he was prepared for anything. But the soft press of Suzaku's lips against his own took him completely by surprise.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

The next morning, Suzaku woke up feeling… optimistic. The kiss had gone over surprisingly well, and Lelouch hadn't even hit him. He _had_ pulled away, of course, his eyes wide and disbelieving, but he hadn't protested or demanded to know what Suzaku was thinking, or anything. He'd just pushed past Suzaku, still blushing, and retreated into his room.

Probably the best reaction Suzaku could have hoped for.

It was a gamble. Lelouch's reactions to Suzaku touching him had never been _great_ , but they'd never really been awful either. Granted, a kiss was a significant leap from an arm around the waist, but they only had a few days together. If there was even a chance, Suzaku needed to know. Now.

He dressed and rushed to the dining room for breakfast, eager to see what the day would bring. Which was something he hadn't thought he'd be able to say after hearing his name called out at the reaping. But he was finding that only having a few days to live was making him live harder, rather than focusing on the future.

After all, there wasn't really a future anymore. And the present was filled with delicious food, more than he could ever eat, and comfortable clothes and a soft bed, and Lelouch.

Especially Lelouch.

Maybe it was the death sentence hanging over his head, but Suzaku had never felt this way about anyone before. There was an immediacy and passion in the way he cared about Lelouch, and a purely physical desire to be near him, touching him if possible. It was weird and wonderful and probably not actually love, but close enough for Suzaku.

He'd started out wanting to bring Nunnally's brother back to her. Now he just wanted to make sure Lelouch had a future.

After all, the best Suzaku could hope for was to live on in memories. All he had to do now, was make some.

Lelouch walked into the dining room and froze, standing awkwardly in the doorway, staring at Suzaku like a small animal caught in a hunter's gaze. Suzaku held his hands out, trying to look as unthreatening as possible, but that just seemed to make Lelouch more nervous. Suzaku drooped a little and turned away. It seemed he had his answer.

The soft brush of Lelouch's fingers against the back of Suzaku's hand made him startle. Lelouch stood beside him, looking straight ahead rather than at Suzaku, his cheeks naturally coloured rather than artificially.

"Suzaku… do you think you could trust me?"

Suzaku swallowed. "Yeah."

Lelouch gave a soft laugh. "That's remarkably brave of you."

Suzaku's heart raced as Lelouch slid his hand into Suzaku's, lacing their fingers together. "Lelouch…" Lelouch turned to him, and Suzaku felt like he was falling into those violet eyes. "Can I…"

At Lelouch's nod, Suzaku moved closer to him, his eyes falling to Lelouch's parted lips, just waiting for him to…

"Don't worry," Suzaku whispered, his breath passing through Lelouch's lips as he breathed this oath into him. "I'll get you back to Nunnally."

The sudden tightening of Lelouch's grip on his hand was the only warning Suzaku got before Lelouch stepped back to get just enough space between then so that he could slap Suzaku across the face with the full power of his arm behind it.

The physical sting was impressive, but the emotional shock somehow numbed it. "Wha…"

"That wasn't the deal!" Lelouch shouted, drawing attention from the servers and Lloyd and Cecile, who'd just walked in. Rotten timing, Suzaku supposed. "You promise me you'd… _dammit_ , Suzaku!"

"This is you 'working with it'?" Lloyd asked incredulously, pouring himself a mug of coffee. "Frankly, if Suzaku walks out of here with a bruised face, that might lead to more questions than either of you are prepared to deal with."

Lelouch glared at Suzaku. "Not my problem any more."

Suzaku reached out to him. "Lelouch…"

"No." Lelouch slapped his hand away. "No more. No alliances, no promises, nothing. You're on your own, Kururugi, and if you touch me again I'll make sure you regret it, game rules or no game rules." He turned and stalked past Lloyd. "He's yours. I don't care what you do with him, it has nothing to do with me anymore."

Suzaku watched him go, confused and a little hurt.

"Well, at least Dim is potentially trainable." Lloyd met Suzaku's wide, wounded eyes and sighed. "…or not."

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

As they entered the training arena, Lelouch noticed that he and Suzaku were wearing matching clothes again, a unisex grey tracksuit. It was a coincidence, Lelouch had grabbed one of the simpler pants outfits since he expected they'd be moving around a lot and Suzaku just happened to do the same, but the way they were paired again was irritating beyond all measure.

Suzaku had _promised_ he'd protect Nunnally. He had a chance to make it through alive, and when he did, Lelouch could rest in peace knowing his sister and mother were taken care of. And then that kiss out of nowhere, a gesture that Lelouch had thought was simply loneliness and fear wrapped up in Suzaku's own personal brand of impulsivity… and then Suzaku's pledge to get him back to Nunnally…

No. That wouldn't happen. Suzaku could die for him, a dozen times over, and Lelouch still wouldn't make it through the games alive. He knew that; _Suzaku_ , surely on at least one level, knew that. If they hung their hopes up on Lelouch, Area 11 would go without a victor.

That stupid, irresponsible, lying sack of…

So it came down to this. Lelouch would make an enemy of Suzaku if he had to, turn whatever feelings the other boy had for him into a resentful hatred. They didn't have to work together for Lelouch to ensure Suzaku's victory, in fact Lelouch had been trying to figure out how to suggest to Suzaku that he allow Lelouch to put some distance between them so Lelouch could look into the other Tributes. This would make it easier. He wouldn't have to justify anything to Suzaku or even Lloyd.

Although he'd probably talk this over with Lloyd later. It would be helpful to have a second opinion on this plan.

For now, though, Lelouch would just move on his own.

They weren't the last ones there, although they were close. Someone hand pinned a number '11' to their backs (one more thing marking them as a pair, Lelouch noted with irritation) before they joined the crowd of Tributes milling about in the center of the room.

"Lelouch." Suzaku grabbed his arm before they got to the group. "I… I'm sorry."

Every single Tribute was watching them, silent and assessing. Lelouch felt the weight of their stares as he leaned closer to Suzaku. "For what?"

Suzaku hesitated. "Uh…"

"Talk to me when you figure it out. Until then, _get your hand off me_."

Suzaku released him like he'd been burnt and Lelouch calmly walked away, his face blank, his back straight. One pair of eyes stood out from the crowd, following Lelouch with an intensity that felt almost invasive. Lelouch bit back a small smile; it seemed that Suzaku still had his uses.

The Tributes from Area 10 entered, the last to arrive, and the boy stood next to Lelouch. He was strange, with his dead eyes and expressionless face, he barely seemed to be present at all. A miserable Tribute, but a perfect sacrifice. The idea that Area 10 was starting to raise such creatures to die in the place of their actual children, just as Area 2 was infamous for training Tributes to win, disturbed Lelouch to no end. Also, it was something he clearly couldn't use – this child was barely human.

But the other Tributes… there were possibilities there. The girl from Area 7 was already scared of her male counterpart, an older Tribute, seventeen as Lelouch recalled, who had an air of desperation about him. Both Tributes from Area 2 looked comfortable and even excited, but the male's eyes were steadily trained on Lelouch, with an oddly hungry look. Lelouch let their gazes meet, once, and then looked away.

He could practically feel the spark of predatory interest from his 'admirer'. This could get interesting, considering the "no physical contact between Tributes" rule and the fact that they'd be spending the better part of three days together.

The head trainer dismissed them and the Tributes split up, heading towards their preferred training area.

The male Tribute from Area 2 never hesitated as he pulled away from the group to follow Lelouch.

Perfect.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

Suzaku watched Lelouch head for the knot-tying station and walked to the other side of the training arena, where some guy was standing with some really long knives.

"You've used a blade before, boy?" He asked as Suzaku approached.

Suzaku shrugged. "For skinning and eating, yeah." The man looked unimpressed. "I can throw knives." Still unimpressed. Suzaku grabbed one of the hilts, determined not to back down.

"That's not how you hold a sword," the man said, disgusted. He adjusted Suzaku's grip and suddenly Suzaku could feel the balance and grace of the weapon, sense how it wanted to be used.

He waved it around for a while, until he seemed to gain the man's grudging respect, and he started showing Suzaku how to parry and thrust and other things that seemed to come almost naturally.

After about an hour Suzaku moved on to archery, which was a lot easier than knife-throwing in his opinion, and then spears. He wanted to try the net things as well, but the instructor seemed busy with other Tributes.

He'd avoided the non-combat stations because that was where Lelouch was, and Lelouch wasn't being overly friendly. But there were things he'd need to know if he were to survive, like how to make a fire or set snares for anything bigger than a rabbit. He should at least go through the motions of learning them.

The camouflage station was in the corner of the arena, under various forms of lighting and with various forms of cover (tree branches, rocky outcroppings, sand, murky water). The trainer there was busy with one of the Tributes from Area 6, but Suzaku felt like he could use a little break, and waited by the wall for his turn.

Under the grunts and clanging of the other Tributes practicing various skills, Suzaku heard a soft cry of protest, one that would have gone unnoticed if it hadn't been for one small thing.

The voice was Lelouch's.

It was coming from behind one of the artificial rocks, one of the few places in the arena that wasn't under the watchful eyes of the gamemakers. Suzaku checked quickly to make sure no one was watching him, and then ducked back there to see what was going on.

As his eyes adjusted to the dimmer light, he could make out a form, something that looked like the back of a person, moving in small, jerky motions. Suzaku blinked and refocused, and he realized that it was actually two people – one pinning the other against a wall and moving against…

"Lelouch?"

The startled sound Lelouch made went straight to Suzaku's groin in a completely inappropriate way. He was about to step forward, when the other person casually backhanded Lelouch across the face.

"Shut the fuck up."

"Hey!" Suzaku yelled, moving forward, his arm instinctively cocked to deliver a blow.

"Suzaku, stop," Lelouch ordered, somewhat breathlessly. "If you get caught, they'll punish our entire Area." He really meant Nunnally and his mother.

"But he…" Suzaku's complaint trailed off as he realized that hitting Lelouch wasn't the only thing this guy was doing. Both of their pants were pushed down, to about mid-thigh, and they were both erect. "What are you…"

Lelouch sighed. "Just go away. You're not helping."

"Nah, he can stay," the other boy disagreed. "And watch." He pushed Lelouch down, until he was kneeling in front of him, and cupped his chin. "Put on a good show, boy-princess."

The same thing C.C. had called Lelouch, Suzaku recalled.

Lelouch's eyes met his, and even in the poor lighting, Suzaku could see the flash of anger there. Then he turned away, settling more comfortably in front of the guy who'd just hit him, and looked up, his expression softening and smiling. "Yes, Luciano."

There were any number of things Suzaku would have given up – his comfortable bed, one or two of the lavish meals per day, half of the eight hours they allotted for sleep – to have Lelouch look at him like that. Then Lelouch licked his lips and leaned forward and…

Suzaku couldn't look away. There was a large part of him that wanted to, that hated what he was seeing Lelouch doing (…to someone other than him), but the way Lelouch's lips looked, stretched around Luciano's cock, his flushed cheeks, his half-lidded eyes…

Suzaku's hand moved to the front of his pants. If he had to watch this, he was going to get something out of it.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

This was humiliating.

Not the forced blowjob, although every time Luciano touched him, Lelouch had to fight back a wave of nausea, but the audience. Although, Lelouch thought as he swallowed around Luciano's cock before pulling back to tongue the head, he should probably get used to it. Once the games started, there wouldn't be a single moment of privacy; every second would be monitored and available for public viewing.

The first exposure Lelouch had had to sex, actually, had been one of the games. A male Tribute had made a pet of one of the females, protecting and guarding her, and taking her every night, one hand over her mouth to stop her cries. Lelouch, at nine, had been just old enough to understand that what was happening was worse than the usual fare, at least according to his mother. Some of the things he'd heard from others – that she was a slut and a whore, that she was weak and taking away the chances of victory from better Tributes, Tributes they'd placed bets on to make it to the final ten or five – had made it seem as if the girl was at fault.

That had also been Lelouch's first exposure to gambling. Of the two activities, gambling had been the one he'd chosen to pick up.

The girl, much to the disgust of the gamblers, had made it to the final five until her keeper had grown tired of caring for her and slit her throat as he came inside her for the last time. He'd gone on to win the games, and Lelouch assumed he had a bevy of pets now. He wondered, taking Luciano in as far as he could before gagging, if Luciano would keep a menagerie of young boys, dressed in girl's clothing, after his victory if he won.

That was what had attracted Luciano to him in the first place. That he was pretty and delicate and had a cock. He hadn't even looked at the other Tributes, and some of the girls were just as frightened and desperate as Lelouch seemed, before zeroing in on Lelouch.

Homosexuality wasn't a taboo in Area 11, but there were Areas where it was. Lelouch, dressed and presented as a girl, was probably the first person Luciano had seen and wanted in an acceptable context.

Which didn't stop him from being rough and making sure that Lelouch knew his place.

Lelouch was careful not to look anywhere but at Luciano, either lowering his eyes to watch what he was doing, or looking up into Luciano's grinning, manic face. Luciano grabbed his hair and started thrusting, making Lelouch choke and bringing tears to his eyes, but his attention wasn't on Lelouch's comfort.

It was on Suzaku.

"You've never had 'er, have you?" Luciano grunted as he fucked Lelouch's mouth. "She's good, all hot and wet and gagging for a decent dicking." He gripped Lelouch's hair harder and thrust faster. "Fuck, I'm looking forward to that tight ass…" His breath hitched at the end of that and he came, flooding Lelouch's mouth with a hot, bitter liquid that made Lelouch's throat spasm. He held Lelouch's head still for a moment, ignoring his whimpers and struggles, before pulling out and tossing him aside to cough and clear his throat.

Lelouch fought to get himself under control as quickly as he could, fully aware of how precarious this situation could be, with Suzaku unconsciously challenging Luciano's dominance.

But one look at Suzaku's face made it clear that he wasn't challenging anything. He looked stunned, and a little disturbed, his arms hanging loosely by his sides, doing nothing to hide the bulge in the front of his pants. Lelouch smirked to himself as he wiped off his mouth. Had Suzaku gotten hard by watching them, or just by watching Lelouch on his knees?

Was that what he wanted, under the sweet blushes and impulsive kisses?

Luciano tucked himself back in as he strutted past Suzaku, his entire body radiating satisfaction and control. "If I find out you touched her, I'll fuckin' kill you. And I'll make it slow."

He looked back at Lelouch and smirked. "Tomorrow, wear a dress and bring some slick. I wanna make sure you're a good enough fuck before agreeing to anything."

"Of course. Thank you."

Suzaku stared at Lelouch for a long moment after Luciano left, eyes wide and still visibly aroused. Lelouch gathered himself up and stood, and Suzaku took a graceless step back from him, then another, then turned and retreated.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

Dinner was awkward.

Lloyd asked what training they'd done, and Suzaku simply rattled off the list of the weapons he'd tried. Lelouch didn't answer at all, his eyes vague and unfocused throughout the meal, lost in thought.

The Tributes had eaten lunch together, an hour-long break before returning to training, and Suzaku had avoided Lelouch there just as he'd avoided Lelouch in the training arena. He had, however, noticed that Luciano sat with the other Area 2 Tribute, and not Lelouch. Clearly, there was something other than simple attraction at work here.

Not that it was any of Suzaku's business, of course.

The tentative alliance they'd built up, the chance for Suzaku to do something for Nunnally and Marianne in return for their kindness, was all but destroyed now. Lelouch hadn't just rejected him, he'd replaced him. With Luciano. Who was more monster than man.

Still, Suzaku couldn't really blame him. Luciano clearly had the ruthlessness and training to survive the games, and Lelouch would do well under his care. But there could be only one victor in the Hunger Games, and if Lelouch seriously thought he could somehow managed to outmanoeuvre a well-trained brute like Luciano…

…no, actually, this was a Bad Plan.

And Lloyd thought _he_ was the dumb one.

After Cecile gently prodded Lelouch to contribute something to the conversation a few times, Lelouch shook himself out of his funk and stood up, his meal only half eaten. "It's been a long day. Excuse me."

Cecile sighed. "Well, at least he has lovely manners."

Lloyd just smiled at Suzaku, in that slightly unsettling way of his. "Well? What are you waiting for, an invitation? Go after her."

Suzaku nodded and stood, leaving his own plate mostly finished.

He caught up to Lelouch just as he was about to enter his room. "Lelouch, wait!"

Lelouch hesitated, then turned, his eyes already narrowed in suspicion, but at least he was looking at Suzaku. "What?"

…ah. Yes. Now he had to say something. "Uh, I…"

"Goodnight, Suzaku." Lelouch stepped across the threshold to his room.

"No, I–" Suzaku sprung forward, slamming his hand against the door before it could close, suddenly inches away from Lelouch. "He's going to betray you."

Lelouch's surprised expression softened to a sardonically amused one. "Is that what's been bothering you?" He moved closer, close enough to kiss. "You think I shouldn't be with him? I should be with… oh, say, you?" He reached up to stroke Suzaku's cheek, and Suzaku leaned into it, his heart racing. "Poor Suzaku, always so alone…" The mocking tone cut through Suzaku like a knife, and he froze as Lelouch leaned even closer, his breath palpable against Suzaku's earlobe. "Luciano will give me _exactly_ what I want, whereas I couldn't trust you to give me what I needed. So why, Suzaku, would I choose you?"

Suzaku shivered. "I… I said I'd do anything…"

"That's not what I asked from you." Lelouch moved away, with a small, cruel smile. "Goodnight, Suzaku." He gently pushed Suzaku back and closed the door.

Even on his comfy bed, Suzaku didn't sleep well that night.

The next day was hellish. Suzaku had finally got to use the net and trident when he noticed Luciano emerging from behind the camouflage area, adjusting his pants and walking away with a self-satisfied swagger. Moments later Lelouch followed, in a pale olive dress, moving much more stiffly.

Suzaku threw the trident so hard, one of the tines broke off.

It was just as hard watching them at lunch together. Clearly, whatever had happened had been enough for Luciano to formally claim Lelouch, since he'd made Lelouch get their food and then pulled him onto his lap. Watching them made Suzaku sick with disgust and fear. For Lelouch's sake, of course.

After lunch, Suzaku tried fire lighting. Over by the knife-throwing station, Luciano had pressed himself against Lelouch's back and was trailing a blade over Lelouch's throat. As creepy as that was, it didn't compare to the small, satisfied smile on Lelouch's face as he laced his fingers with Luciano's free hand. One of the trainers broke them apart, and Suzaku turned back to his fire, but his hands were shaking so hard he accidentally smothered it.

This did not bode well for the actual games.


	4. The Lie

The third day they met with the gamemakers to show off their skills. Luciano had told Lelouch to wear a pink dress this time (apparently he'd liked the opening ceremonies gown) so Lelouch had bothered C.C. for one, as well as some ridiculously flimsy sandals. At least it was loose enough that Lelouch could hide away the small dispenser of hand cream he'd used yesterday as lube.

He looked delicate and fragile. Hardly the best way to make an impression on the gamemakers.

It wouldn't really matter, in any case. All he had to offer was on display.

They were called up by Area over lunch, starting with Area 1. Lelouch sat with Luciano and the other Area 2 Tribute, as well as the boy from Area 10 with the dead eyes. Apparently Luciano wasn't the only one with a pet.

Luciano stood as the male from Area 1 was taken to the gamemakers, pacing impatiently. Lelouch just continued eating, ignoring everything else.

"What's he see in you?" The female Tribute from Area 2, Adriana, asked out of nowhere.

Lelouch smiled. "A tight ass and a clever mouth." The boy from Area 10 choked on his food – a reaction from him at last. "Why, jealous?"

"Not at all," the girl sneered. "He's a fucking lunatic. But he's never gone skirt chasing before."

Maybe that was because he wasn't interested in what was beneath most skirts. "And you? What interest do you have with…"

"Rolo," the boy from Area 10 said, not looking up from his food.

"He's quick and vicious, and has great eyesight. We're all in this to win, eventually, but together we'll have a good chance of outlasting everyone else until it comes down to just us." Adriana smirked. "No thanks to you."

Lelouch knew he was effectively talentless as a Tribute. He just hoped that fear of Luciano's retribution would be enough to protect him from his other 'allies'. "I have my own skills."

"As a whore."

"Precisely."

She shook her head. "I can't imagine what you think you're going to get out of Luciano. Even if it's just the two of you at the end, you're still dead."

"I know." Lelouch shrugged. His gaze wandered and fell naturally on Suzaku's form, sitting by himself, his meal untouched. "I have my reasons." He shook himself out of it. "Luciano promised me this – a spot in the final ten, where my mother has placed a wager on me, and a quick death. That's better than anything I could hope for on my own."

"It sure is," Luciano agreed, having just returned from the gamemakers, in a much better and more settled mood. "And at least you're dying for something, unlike most of the suckers here."

Lelouch smiled and fit himself against Luciano's hard body. "Thank you for that."

"You can thank me after your own assessment," Luciano said, sliding one hand up Lelouch's skirt and digging into his food with the other. Lelouch made a small, contented noise and tried not to flinch at Luciano's awkward groping.

When Suzaku returned, Lelouch untangled himself from Luciano and made his way to the gamemaker's room. He stood in front of them and waited.

"Well? Do something."

Lelouch shrugged. "Honestly, I have nothing to show you. None of my weapons are present."

He had the attention of at least three of them. The others were focused on lunch.

"What weapons?"

"The other Tributes," Lelouch said. "I've managed an alliance with the Tributes from Area 2, and Suzaku is well within my control. Additionally, thanks to the interviews with their families and friends, I have enough information on the rest to plan accordingly. I promised that my death would be entertaining, and I can assure you that I will prolong that entertainment as long as possible."

Most of the gamemakers were at least listening now, even if they hadn't stopped eating. "This has been tried before."

"These are the seventy-fourth games. By now, everything has been tried before. The trick is to succeed." That was met with silence. Lelouch sighed. He had nothing else to offer. "Thank you for your consideration."

Rather than Luciano, it was Suzaku who was waiting for him when he got out. "Well?"

Lelouch shrugged. "We'll see." He looked over Suzaku's shoulder and saw Luciano impatiently waiting for him. "Excuse me."

He was actually getting used to Suzaku's hurt expression.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

The scores, from 1-12 of course, were announced just after supper.

This was the first time Lelouch hadn't simply retired to his room after dinner since their fight. Suzaku knew better than to think that it had anything to do with him warming up.

They were announced in order, from Area 1 to Area 12, boys first. Suzaku ignored Area 1, but set his jaw in irritation at Luciano's 9. Most of the other numbers were between 4 and 8, and Lelouch seemed to be memorizing them and turning them over in his mind. Maybe they meant something more than just numbers in the right context.

"Suzaku Kururugi, Area 11." Suzaku's face flashed on the screen. "Score: 11."

Huh. Suzaku had _not_ been expecting that. When he'd gone in, he hadn't really had any idea of what to show them, so he'd just picked up weapon after weapon, doing what felt natural until they told him to leave.

Lelouch looked at him, his face bland. "You should have held back. The other Tributes will notice you now."

"…I didn't know I wasn't." Suzaku frowned. "And what do you care, anyways?"

Lelouch shrugged and turned away. "You're right. I don't care."

"Lelouch Lamperouge, Area 11. Score: 2."

Lelouch's lips pursed slightly, but whether that was in indignation or satisfaction, Suzaku couldn't tell.

"Holding back?"

"No. An honest score," Lelouch said, with a wry smile. After Area 12's numbers were announced, he stood to leave, but Lloyd stopped him, one hand firmly grasping his elbow.

"Tomorrow we'll prepare for the interviews."

Lelouch shook him off. "Focus on Suzaku. I'll work with Cecile." Lloyd released him and Lelouch stalked off. Cecile, after a moment's hesitation, went after him.

Lloyd grinned at Suzaku. "11, huh? Not much work needed." And, with that rather odd endorsement, he wandered off.

Suzaku just went to bed.

The next day was filled with practice questions and posture exercises. Suzaku practiced smiling and walking and standing and even his laugh, which didn't sound natural enough for Lloyd.

But that was because it was fake. The whole thing was. Suzaku couldn't be "genuine" because this entire event was staged and phony.

It was frustrating.

After lunch, they met back with their stylists, and Suzaku was stuffed into something harsh and ironed and formal, with a tie and a hat that he was instructed to wear only when he was outside. His stylist slicked his hair back with enough gel to control even Suzaku's wild curls and told him not to fuss with it. He wondered what Lelouch would be wearing, and if they would match again.

Nope.

Where Suzaku was formal and almost militaristic in his outfit, Lelouch was…

Well, he was dressed like a female bellydancer.

Suzaku had never seen so much jewellery in one place, even since coming to Pendragon, and the vibrant violet of the outfit made Lelouch's eyes glow. He was more covered than he seemed, with only the upper "V" of his chest and his belly exposed, but his arms and legs were clothed only in translucent fabric, the same fabric that created an illusion of long hair. It didn't look uncomfortable, his footwear were slippers instead of heels, which was probably a great improvement, but it still made quite the impression.

He looked lovely. Sexy, but aloof and untouchable.

His eyes narrowed at Suzaku's outfit, and Suzaku felt oddly uncomfortable under that scrutiny. The last time he'd seen Lelouch in one of their costumes, he'd complimented him and they'd laughed together. This time, there was a definite aura of irritation from Lelouch, and a certain distance that hadn't been there before.

Suzaku cast his eyes down, unwilling to breach that distance and risk being rejected once again.

They were seated together, in a semi-circle from Area 1-12, with Area 1, naturally, starting. There was a sound check and a light check and then the audience started piling in, starting with the media, then the public, then the wealthy and notable figures (fashionably late) and, finally, the gamemakers.

And then the lights dimmed and the spotlight turned on and the interviewer stepped onto the stage, to the cheers and whistles of the audience.

He looked happy and energetic as always, every year Suzaku had watched the games.

The last face of the capitol before the Tributes were sent to the game site.

Diethard Reed.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

Lelouch was nervous.

He doubted anyone could tell, though. He was a master bluffer, had been since he was a child, and he was sure that his anxiety didn't show on his face. But he was still quite nervous.

The Luciano thing had gone better than Lelouch had expected, all things considered. A murderous psychopath who craved death, but didn't particularly care about the suffering that preceded it, was the perfect fit to Lelouch's plan. That he had the tools to seduce him was more fortunate than he'd even dared to hope for. The issues with Suzaku on the other hand…

He'd hoped that Suzaku would remember him fondly, and take those memories back to Area 11 for the sake of Nunnally and Marianne. That was more or less out of the question now, since Suzaku's idea of fondness apparently included idiotic self-sacrifice and accidental manipulation. The only way Suzaku would allow himself to win would be if he had nothing else to fight for. So Lelouch had had to take that away from him and replace it with the betrayed hurt he saw in Suzaku's eyes now.

It was a pity. Suzaku had looked so… lovely when he was happy.

He wasn't particularly happy now, answering Diethard's questions with a charming kind of sheepishness and self-deprecation. He even blushed when asked about his score of 11 and just said he must have had a good day. Lelouch imagined the myriad of sponsors he was accidentally wooing – those who responded to strength, those who responded to vulnerability, even those who simply responded to good looks and a heart-melting smile.

He'd smiled at Lelouch like that a few times, only more so.

Lelouch had discussed the sponsor issue with Lloyd. Generally, the sponsors were wooed to the Tribute, not the Area. Despite that custom, sponsorships were sent to the mentor, not the Tribute themselves, and he chose when and to whom to distribute them. So, in theory, even if Lelouch netted more sponsors, Suzaku could reap the benefits.

Or vice versa, but Lloyd had promised to prioritize Suzaku. And it looked like Suzaku wouldn't have much trouble getting his own sponsors in any case.

And then it was Lelouch's turn. The audience was less excited about him, laughter mingling with the applause. He wondered if he looked as ridiculous as he felt.

"So, Lelouch Lamperouge… what would you like to talk about?" Diethard asked cheerfully.

Lelouch wrinkled his nose. "Ah, anything but my score." There was more jeering laughter at that. "I like to think it speaks for itself."

Diethard's laughter was warm, turning the mockery into a companionable kind of amusement. "Well, it could be worse."

"Exactly," Lelouch said. "I _earned_ that 2."

This time, even the audience seemed to be warming up.

"Then let's talk about your reaping," Diethard said. "You're the first volunteer from Area 11 in… well, longer than I've been around. Tell us about that."

Lelouch took a deep breath. "I know I shouldn't be here, for… various reasons. But the gamemakers have been kind enough to allow me to come, and for that I can be nothing but grateful. Just by standing here, I feel like I've already won."

"Because you took your sister's place, right? Are you two close?"

And here it came… "We are. But that's not… I mean…" Lelouch bit his lip and cast his eyes down, willing a light flush to his face. "I would be lying if I said this was all for Nunnally."

"Ooh?" Diethard asked, dragging out the suspense for the audience's sake. "What else drove you here?"

Lelouch swallowed. This was it. The moment that everything hinged on.

"When I saw Suzaku… standing up there." He let his hands shake slightly, visibly, before clasping them in front of himself. "I couldn't move, couldn't think. He looked so strong but so alone, just like always and I…"

"You what?" Diethard asked eagerly.

"I knew that this was the last chance I'd ever get to have him look at me, notice me. The idea of losing him was terrifying, without even getting the chance to tell him…"

"Yes…?"

Lelouch looked at Suzaku's spot, unable to see him through the bright lights. He let his face cycle through emotions, slowly enough to be captured on screen – longing, guilt, grief, hope. Then he turned back to the cameras.

"I just wanted to tell him that… I love him."

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

Suzaku caught up to Lelouch as they left the dome where the interviews had been held, and grabbed his arm before he could get into one of the cars waiting to take them back to their living quarters.

"What are you doing?"

Lelouch winced, his eyes lowered demurely and his voice soft and submissive. "There are cameras everywhere, idiot."

And then Suzaku knew, in a flash of an epiphany, that this was an act. The whole thing – the love confession; the emotional, impulsive displays; the ladylike decorum. "What should I do? Kiss you?"

"No." Lelouch licked his lips. "Just let me go and look confused. You're good at that."

…he was kind of a bastard. Still pretty, but a real jerk underneath it all. "You know, you're nothing like your sister," Suzaku said softly, releasing Lelouch as ordered and letting him get into the car before crawling in after him. He had no doubt that his expression was just as confused as Lelouch could have wanted.

With the door closed behind them, alone except for the driver, Suzaku suddenly found that he couldn't really stand to be with Lelouch. Lelouch just sighed.

"I never pretended to be anything like Nunnally. That was something you decided on your own."

"Yeah, well, I guess I'm just an idiot."

Lelouch smiled. "Pretty much."

It was probably the first sign of genuineness from him since he'd pleaded with Suzaku not to attack Luciano. It pissed Suzaku off to no end. "Look, if you'd just tell me what you want from me–"

"I _have_ ," Lelouch snapped, just as impatient and frustrated as Suzaku. "I wanted you to win, to return to Area 11 and to protect Nunnally."

"So this _is_ all about her."

"Well, obviously!"

Their voices had risen, enough that Suzaku was willing to call this an actual fight. It felt kinda good, getting all this out, all the toxic emotions between them. Suzaku hadn't realized just how much Lelouch had devoted to Nunnally. He really was set to die out there, for her.

"She'll cry if you die."

That seemed to hit Lelouch, finally, the first point Suzaku felt like he'd ever scored. "She'll have our mother. And you."

"It's not the same." Suzaku placed his hand on top of Lelouch's. "If I die, there are people who will miss me, but no one who'll really mourn. But you… you're important, Lelouch. And I wish… I wish what you'd said in there was true. Because I think I might be falling in love with you."

Lelouch leaned over and pressed his lips gently against Suzaku's. He tasted faintly of berries, probably from his lip gloss. "Don't be ridiculous. It's just the stress."

Suzaku grabbed the back of Lelouch's neck to hold him in place. "So what? At least one of our lives is going to be nothing _but_ this kind of stress, or worse. That doesn't mean that it's not true."

Lelouch's eyes nearly glowed this close up, his pupils huge in the dim light. "And even if it's true, that doesn't mean it's relevant."

"Because you've already chosen Luciano?"

"Because you're a naïve idiot who can't read people to save his life."

Suzaku kissed him.

It wasn't the soft, condescending brush of lips that Lelouch had just offered him, or the awkward, tentative impulse outside Lelouch's door. It was harsh, demanding, and surprisingly effective. Lelouch froze for less than a moment before opening under him, one hand coming up to caress Suzaku's cheek as the kiss deepened. Suzaku pressed Lelouch back, his fingers sliding up to cup the back of Lelouch's head as his other hand braced himself against the seat, looming over Lelouch.

The car stopped.

Suzaku drew back, a little stunned at how that had felt. Lelouch, his breathing fast and shallow, opened his eyes and smiled, sweet and lovely, and leaned up to press a kiss against Suzaku's cheek.

"You still can't read people, can you?"

Suzaku pulled away, confused, a question hovering on his lips as Lelouch opened the door and slid out, heading straight for one of the other cars and into Luciano's arms as he stepped out.

They didn't kiss, although Lelouch smiled and moved his lips close to Luciano's ear, whispering something. Luciano, in return, slid a proprietary hand over Lelouch's ass and steered him inside.

Suzaku walked in after them and waited on the eleventh floor for Lelouch to return.

Lloyd shooed him off to bed before Lelouch arrived.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

Lelouch woke up with a mix of dread and anticipation. This was The Day, the actual start of the Hunger Games.

He'd been chased out of Luciano's room by his mentor (too late to preserve anyone's innocence) and showered before getting into his own bed. He had expected to lie awake, fretting over the plans he'd made and the deals he'd struck.

He'd slept better than he had since taking Nunnally's place. After all, no matter what the morning held, there was nothing he could do about it.

Suzaku didn't look like he'd slept nearly as well, which was unfortunate since his greatest strength was his… well, strength (and endurance). Being at less than his physical peak would put him at a serious disadvantage.

When it was Area 11's turn, they made their way to the roof. The two hovercrafts designated to take them to the arena appeared and Lelouch turned to his, hoping Suzaku was smart enough not to attempt a final word.

"Lelouch?"

…too much to hope for, then.

"Are you sure you… I mean…" Suzaku's voice broke and Lelouch felt acute second-hand embarrassment. "I'd protect you."

Lelouch turned. "Suzaku, no. I don't want you…" That was far too close to an outright lie. "…your protection." To cover up his misstep, Lelouch grabbed onto the ladder and escaped into the hovercraft.

A strange woman injected a tracking device under his skin and led him to breakfast. Like sleeping, eating came easily to him.

The Hunger Games outfits were almost always unisex, and Lelouch was grateful that this year seemed no different. It was nice to be in pants again, and the warm, waterproof outer clothing reassured him that there would be water where they were. Indeed when he arrived, deposited from the hovercraft onto the metal plate surrounded by live landmines to discourage false starts, the first thing he noticed was the large lake and the scent of pine trees. The second thing was the large golden dome, known as the cornucopia, filled with valuable resources – food, water, shelter, weapons. Scattered around it were various other supplies, but the vast majority of the wealth was in the cornucopia itself.

That, according to the plan he and the two Tributes from Area 2 had devised, was his target.

It was about fifty meters away. Lelouch groaned at the thought of dashing that far before someone picked up a spear or knife and started throwing them at him.

And then the sixty seconds of waiting were up and the voice of the head gamemaker, Clovis, rang out.

"Let the seventy-fourth Hunger Games begin!"

And off Lelouch went. He barely made it to the cornucopia before Luciano was there, as promised, guarding him as Lelouch grabbed one of the larger but lighter bags and covered himself with it as a shield as he began to climb.

He made a perfect target, but also a pointless one since all of the fighting over the supplies was happening below him. As Lelouch watched, Luciano got in two kills and, after checking that Lelouch was well-situated, raced off in search of a third.

Something warm and sold pressed against Lelouch's back and he sighed with relief. "Rolo."

"Missing anyone yet?" Rolo asked.

Right, that was why Lelouch was up here, scouting to see where the other Tributes ran off to. "I've got seven live Tributes in sight, and three dead."

"Five dead and six live. Ah, reverse that."

So they were missing one. Lelouch let himself hope that it was Suzaku before returning to his mission. Luciano killed two more and the rest ran off. Lelouch tracked their paths and then slid down, rummaging through his bag and then another for paper and something to write with.

Luciano refused to work with names, so Lelouch marked people down by sex and Area. He'd caught both Tributes from Area 3 running west, but not together, and the boys from Areas 5 and 8 running north. Rolo had seen the girls from Areas 1 and 12 and the boy from Area 11 (…Suzaku) running east and the boy from Area 9 heading South. It seemed that no other groups had formed, yet, apart from their own.

"You missed one," Adriana said.

Lelouch looked over all the bodies. "The girl from Area 7. She was gone before we reached the top."

Eleven cannons rang out and Luciano shrugged. "Let's let them move the bodies before we loot the place." He grinned at Lelouch. "And then we hunt."

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

After the eleventh cannon, Suzaku let himself stop running.

He'd panicked. And not in a good way. Lelouch had run into the crowd of bloodthirsty, desperate Tributes and Suzaku had just… watched him. Not even a minute into the games and Suzaku's stupid sense of self-preservation had won out over his desire to protect Lelouch. At least Luciano was there.

The thought was somewhat bitter.

Suzaku hadn't entered the fray, choosing instead to just grab a bag that was close enough to get to without a fight and then running off. He didn't even know what was in the bag – it could be anything, from a map and food and water, to something as useless as textbooks and a pillow. But he wasn't about to stop and check, not until he could get somewhere he felt safe enough to stop and regroup.

After that, he could debate the merits of returning for Lelouch.

The forest was teeming with wildlife, which was a welcome sign. Now all Suzaku needed was a knife or bow to hunt with… even a spear or one of those trident thingies.

Well, if worse came to worst, he could fashion a make-shift spear from a sapling and use that. If there was one thing Suzaku could do, it was feed himself in the forest.

But first, he needed water.

The Hunger Games started at 10am, around the time most of Pendragon was waking up. It was close to dusk now, and Suzaku had spent the entire time running or, when even his endurance couldn't take it, walking. He was pretty sure he was alone, but it had been hours since he'd had anything to eat or drink and he was starting to feel the effects of it.

He hunkered down in the shelter of a large tree and looked through his bag to see if there was anything useful there.

A sleeping bag, a water bottle (empty), matches, a small knife, a bottle of iodine, various forms of food – dried beef strips, dehydrated fruits, crackers, and a clunky pair of sunglasses. No map, no water.

Well, that was a good enough start. Suzaku repacked his bag and climbed a tree as quickly as he could, trying to get high enough to get a bird's-eye view before the sun set. The orange light warped everything, but he could clearly landmark from the lake and see the cornucopia tiny in the distance, glowing like it was on fire, and the rocky forest surrounding him and the distant fields.

And there, no more than a hundred meters away, a small break in the tree line indicating either a rocky stretch or a river or creek.

Water.

Suzaku climbed down and made his way there, smelling and hearing and then seeing the rushing creek before long. He filled his water bottle and dropped in the proper amount of iodine to purify it, then looked around for a good place to make camp. Downstream there was a rocky outcropping, too small to even be considered a hill, that looked like it might hold some caves. As the sun started setting, Suzaku realized that it was getting very cold, very fast. Caves would be the perfect place to hide from the elements, but they would also be the first place anyone would look.

And Suzaku, with his sleeping bag, didn't need them.

He drank the water and refilled the bottle before replacing it in the bag, taking out the sleeping bag. Then he found the sturdiest, leafiest oak tree, and scaled it high enough to be out of sight, but low enough that the branches could keep his weight. As he set up his sleeping bag, belting himself to the branch so he wouldn't accidentally fall in his sleep, the anthem started playing, signalling the end of the first day of the games.

After the anthem, there is a roll of the dead. After the eleven cannons, there weren't any more, so Suzaku waited to see which eleven had been killed. He hoped Lelouch wasn't among them. The boy from Area 1 was first, but he would have been, even if everyone else had died as well, then both Tributes from Area 4 (meaning Luciano was still alive), the girl from Area 5, both Tributes from Area 6, the boy from Area 7, the girls from Areas 8, 9, and 10, and then…

The boy from Area 12.

Lelouch was still alive.

Suzaku heaved a sigh of relief and closed his eyes, planning on getting some much-needed sleep. Apart from Lelouch and the other three in his group, there were eight other Tributes out there, hunting or trying to get some rest.

And any of them could be a risk to Lelouch.


	5. The Games: Begin!

They headed east, the direction Rolo had seen Suzaku run off in.

Lelouch hadn't protested, but the way Luciano had looked at him, licking his lips eagerly, had made Lelouch think that it wasn't just the 11 Suzaku had gotten in training that was motivating him.

Maybe that love confession, a tactic designed to lure in sponsors rather than directly affect the game, hadn't been the best idea. Lloyd had understood what Lelouch had done immediately – he would be working several angles with the sponsors now; the bigotry of the uncivilized Areas keeping two lovers apart, the need to keep them both alive until they could find each other, and, for the more conservative citizens of Pendragon, painting Suzaku as the uncomfortable focus of an obsessed, gender-confused boy.

For the latter group, they would likely pay mostly for the chance to watch Suzaku, personally, kill him.

Lelouch didn't really care _why_ , as long as they paid. Particularly as it now seemed to have made Suzaku Luciano's main target.

Luciano had armed himself with two swords and a brace of throwing knives (his favourite weapons, as Lelouch knew, shuddering at the memory of the blade trailing over his throat). Adriana sported a bow and arrows and a spear, as well as two discuses that Lelouch didn't remember seeing in the training area and had no idea how they'd work. Rolo, when pressed, armed himself with two knives. Lelouch did the same, as unlikely as it was that he'd use them.

Lelouch also carried a first aid kit. Luciano had laughed at him, and said that anyone who'd need first aid they'd leave for dead. But he hadn't forbidden it, so Lelouch brought it along.

It was possible that his doting attitude was less because of Lelouch's deal and more because Lelouch had wired up the defused landmines and buried them around their tent to prevent thievery. It was the one useful thing Lloyd had taught Lelouch (apparently those explosions in the victor's village had been purposeful and educational) and freed up all four of them to hunt. Even Adriana had seemed impressed with that.

When night fell, Rolo showed the rest of them how to use the night-vision goggles they'd found. He and Luciano had a pair each, but the eye strain was significant with them, so they planned to switch every hour or so.

Hunting was boring.

Rolo, true to Adriana's impression of brilliant eyesight, managed to pick out a trail in the thick underbrush, until he lost it in the heavy pine needles. After that, there was a lot of guesswork and growing impatience as Lelouch started having trouble keeping up. Adriana was more than willing to leave him on his own, even offering a more permanent solution, but Luciano was reluctant to give him up before even tasting him once during the games.

Once Lelouch tripped and fell the fifth time, Adriana nearly lost her temper and Luciano actually had to physically intervene. Lelouch thought he was dead, but then Rolo started sniffing the air.

"Fire."

"What?" Adriana turned from Lelouch. "Where?"

"…north." Rolo pointed. "Someone's offering us an invitation."

Luciano laughed. "It would be rude to decline."

As they approached, however, Adriana stopped them under the cover of a large oak and turned to Luciano. "Your fuck-toy is too loud. We're gonna need to leave her here."

Lelouch wanted to object, but… she was entirely correct.

"Fine. Take the boy."

Lelouch wasn't sure why Luciano was willing to let this kill go until Adriana and Rolo slipped out of sight and Luciano pushed Lelouch to his knees. "Time to earn your keep."

Ah. Well, it had been over twelve hours; really this was the most restrained Lelouch had ever seen Luciano. The four kills he'd made might have had something to do with that.

He fumbled Luciano's pants open, the task rather difficult in the darkness with Lelouch's fingers shivering from the cold, and pulled them down, careful not to touch Luciano with his freezing fingers any more than he had to. Luciano still grunted and complained with every brush, but he was still hard when Lelouch pulled down his underwear.

Lelouch licked up the shaft, letting his tongue curl around the head, before he realized how truly vulnerable he was, kneeling with his back exposed. Suddenly wanting this over as soon as possible, he took Luciano into his mouth and sucked.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

Suzaku was mortified.

Waking up to soft voices and the scent of green pine burning wasn't that bad until he realised he was belted to a tree in a sleeping bag because this was the Hunger Games. Then the voices took on a rather more ominous meaning, and the distant fire probably meant someone's death.

Poor someone.

But the mortification began after the group split up – half moving towards the fire, the other half…

Were Luciano and Lelouch.

And Luciano seemed more than happy to stay by Suzaku's tree and push Lelouch down and…

On second thought, "mortified" didn't cover it.

The night was close to silent, with only the soft sound of the wind rustling through the leaves. Which made it easy for Suzaku's ears (against his will) to catch every single soft groan and wet suck from the pair beneath him. Unfortunately.

The wet sounds sped up and Luciano's voice started forming words. "Like that, fuck yeah, your mouth, oh…"

In the distance, a shrill, desperate scream rang out; a girl's voice.

It didn't quite cover up the sound of Luciano's low growl as he came.

Adrenaline rushed through Suzaku – a combination of impotent rage and frustrated grief. He could feel and hear his heart thudding, and the idea of Lelouch and Luciano hearing as well was terrifying mostly because he didn't want to be caught eavesdropping on… _that_.

Fear for his own life? Not really.

When Suzaku's heart slowed enough that he could hear again, the sound of Luciano's chuckle made him wish he couldn't.

"How'd you manage to time that?"

Lelouch's voice sounded a little worn. "It wasn't intentional. Did you like it?"

"Did I…" A soft grunt and the sounds of wet, enthusiastic kissing, and the sound of a cannon.

"Hnn, Luciano, not… not here…"

"You two have fun while we were gone?" a new voice, female, asked snidely.

"Not nearly enough. Who'd you get?"

"The girl from 12, according to Rolo."

"Twelve down, two to go," Lelouch said, thoughtfully.

Luciano snorted. "Just 'cause I _can_ kill you once you make it to the last ten doesn't mean I will. I plan to get my fill of you first."

"Mmm… how romantic."

"Either way, I don't want her coming with next time. She's slow and clumsy," the female said.

"Ouch. My feelings."

"We'll talk about this later," Luciano snapped impatiently. "For now, we still have to find the other two that ran this way."

"Suza– ah, the boy from Area 11, and the girl from Area 1," Lelouch said. "It's unlikely that they're around here, but with water nearby, it's a safe bet they're somewhere up or downstream."

"There are caves downstream," a new, soft voice put in. Rolo, then.

"It's getting really cold. The caves are probably the best shelter unless they're still moving around."

"Caves it is," Luciano said. "Then, if they're not there, we'll head back to camp."

"Just let me defuse the mines first," Lelouch said with some humour.

"Adriana, you and Rolo are on first watch when we get back. I want to do some 'defusing' of my own."

"Again. Ridiculously romantic."

As they headed off (one of them, Lelouch probably, making more noise than the other three combined) Suzaku let himself relax. He just hoped that they didn't find anyone else tonight. The girl from Area 1 was one of the Tributes who'd made an impression on Suzaku. Pretty and delicate, with hair dyed as pink as Suzaku's opening ceremonies costume and gentle lavender eyes, she didn't seem like she would last long in a fight, or even on a cold night but, then again, neither did Lelouch. He wished he could remember her name, but it was something long and hard to pronounce. Started with an "E". Or a "U." Something like that.

He hoped she was okay.

He hoped Lelouch stayed okay too, although it seemed like Luciano had him well in hand. As it were.

But mostly Suzaku hoped that, after getting some sleep, he could do _something_ about his situation. Hiding in trees while people screamed and died wasn't okay. It was the coward's way out.

It was about time Suzaku stopped letting things happen and started making them happen.

After snuggling into his sleeping bag and resting up to build up his strength.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

The caves were deserted and Luciano was impatient, so by the time they arrived at the tent it was just after midnight. Lelouch defused the mines and Rolo and Adriana ducked in to get supplies – food, water, thicker jackets. They each staked out a look-out point, with the cornucopia guarding their backs, and set out to watch.

Luciano didn't waste any time, grabbing Lelouch and shoving him into the tent as soon as they were in position.

The tent was the size of a large room, big enough to hold about two weeks worth of food, equipment and weapons, with room to spare for sleeping space. It was also fairly well insulated and more than warm enough inside for Luciano to push Lelouch onto his hands and knees and pull his pants down. Lelouch bit back any complaints he might have made and tried to focus on two important things:

Making sure Luciano used lube (and, from the barely wet finger pushing into Lelouch, it seemed that Lelouch needed to make that a priority), and making the right faces.

The tent was intricately designed, with flaps and clips everywhere, easy places to hide the tiny cameras used by the gamemakers. Lelouch had agreed to this knowing that every single moment of it could be caught on tape and broadcast throughout the Areas and Pendragon itself. Nunnally could be watching.

He winced as Luciano pushed a second, mostly dry, finger in. "Fuck, you're tight tonight."

"Mmm," Lelouch kind of agreed, finally fishing out a tube of… _something_ from the first aid kit. Chances were that it wouldn't be toxic. "Here."

"Yeah, that's…" Within the span of five seconds, the fingers were removed and replaced with Luciano's cock, far too soon in Lelouch's opinion. He bit back his cry and tried to just wait out the burning sensation of invasion. "That's good. Yeah."

Lelouch closed his eyes and focused on the fact that it would all be over soon. The pain sharpened and spread as Luciano started moving, one hand sliding over Lelouch's hip to fondle his cock. Luciano had never brought Lelouch to orgasm, but that was mostly because he'd never tried. He still liked touching Lelouch's cock, though, not caring if it was hard or soft. It was more a gesture of ownership than a caress.

It didn't take long, it never did, for Luciano to spend himself, groaning with deep-seated satisfaction as he collapsed against Lelouch's back. Lelouch lay limply under him, waiting for Luciano to do something or to give him an order.

Nothing came. Luciano merely stirred and grabbed one of the sleeping bags, draping it over their bodies before falling into the soundless, motionless sleep of someone who was on alert for attacks at all times.

Lelouch closed his eyes and followed, trying to convince himself that Luciano's carelessly placed arm over his hip was an embrace.

A burst of cold air and a disgruntled curse woke Lelouch up. Adriana kicked at them, hitting Luciano's thigh as he sat up. "Your watch."

"Bitch."

"Cocksucker."

"No, I'm pretty sure I would have noticed that," Lelouch said, uncurling. He wasn't as sore as he'd expected. "Where's Rolo?"

"Still out there, waiting to be relieved. So get moving."

The pre-dawn air was frigid, even with the double jackets warmed with Rolo and Adriana's body heat. Lelouch ate the dried meat and fruit on crackers and drank his water and tried not to be miserable.

"This is stupid. Get over here."

Luciano's order came out of nowhere, but Lelouch moved immediately to obey, not really caring what he wanted as long as it wasn't staring out into the dull nothingness of the night.

As Lelouch drew near, Luciano surprised him by patting his lap in invitation. It was an oddly considerate thing to offer… except that it would leave Lelouch's back exposed while Luciano's was protected by the cornucopia. Lelouch smiled and settled in, curling up to Luciano and forcing himself to relax as Luciano's hands moved possessively over him. It wasn't so bad, and it was warmer and less boring than being on watch alone.

After a few hours the sun rose and they removed the nightvision glasses, and Luciano made Lelouch kneel on the cold hard ground and suck him off again. That sated him until the end of their watch and Lelouch actually found himself looking forward to hunting rather than whoring.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

Food. Water. Shelter.

If the Hunger Games had really been just about surviving in the wilderness, Suzaku would be pretty complacent at this point. Of course, the other kids with their weapons and murderous intents made things trickier, as they were supposed to.

Suzaku crawled out of his sleeping bag as soon as it was warm enough to do so, packing his backpack up neatly before climbing down from his branch and debating on what to do next. His food wasn't going to last forever, although he was still better fed than he'd been before coming to Pendragon, but snares would be a clear sign of his presence and an easy set-up for a trap if anyone saw them.

On top of that, Suzaku rather wanted to redeem himself for his cowardly actions at the start of the game, abandoning Lelouch. He still felt guilty about that, even if it seemed to have worked out in Lelouch's favour.

The tracks leading back wherever Lelouch's group had come from were hard to track, but the ones leading to the caves were much clearer. Suzaku decided to follow them, since the ones leading away from the caves would point straight to their base.

As he walked along the river, he noticed the occasional splash from fish traveling upstream. He immediately went about looking for a strong sapling and using his pocket knife to fashion it into a spear. The best thing about fish were that, as long as they had scales and you didn't eat any of the organs, you could eat them raw. Even a smokeless fire was a risk, and it would slow Suzaku down significantly.

He speared one and skinned and deboned it, tossing the uneatable bits into the stream and munching on the sweet flesh as he continued walking. He'd lost, overall, less than half an hour of traveling time.

Just as he was about to start on the second half (it wasn't as if it would keep) he heard something. Or saw something. Or even possibly smelled something (although that was less likely with the stench of fish surrounding him). In any case, something told him that someone was nearby.

He placed the rest of the fish down on a nearby stone and took out his spear and waited. As long as whoever it was didn't have a projectile weapon, he was pretty confident that he could outlast them. He let his gaze go unfocused and his mind settled into the blank nothingness of receptivity. Every rustle of leaves in the trees caught his attention, every darting squirrel, every high-flying hawk. But none of them held in for longer than it took to dismiss them as non-threats. The family of grouse, on the other hand, Suzaku made a mental note of – there was good eating on those.

Sure enough, just over two hours later, one of the small movements that caught Suzaku's eye turned out to have wide lavender eyes and tresses of pink peeking out of mud-stained hair.

…clever. Suzaku's own mop of brown hair was just dark enough that he didn't feel it required camouflage but, if he had, riverside mud would have been his first impulse as well.

Now he had a choice to make. He knew where the girl from Area 1 was, and she didn't know that he knew. She was probably unarmed, and even if she wasn't, Suzaku was sure he would win in a fight. He did have a spear, after all.

If he took her out, that would be one fewer person to worry about attacking Lelouch. On the other hand, Luciano had said he wouldn't kill Lelouch until there were only ten Tributes left, so she was kind of a safety cushion.

…and Suzaku really didn't want to kill her.

The best thing to do, now that he figured she wasn't a threat, was to walk away. She'd be fine – there was water and water lilies and all sorts of ways to keep alive. She'd made it this far, surely she was smart enough to make it on her own.

Until someone killed her.

Suzaku sighed. Crap. He wasn't going to be able to abandon her, was he?

He kept her in the corner of his eyes as he shrugged his backpack off and propped his spear against a tree. She didn't move anything but her eyes, following his every move with them. As soon as he was unencumbered, he broke into a sprint, crashing through the underbrush and into her hiding place before she could do more than flinch back, swallowing a small scream as he grabbed her wrist.

"Hey. I'm Suzaku."

"…Eu-Euphy."

 _Euphy_. That was nicer than the long name Suzaku couldn't remember. "Want to team up?"

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

"Nothing?"

"Nothing," Luciano said smugly. "The arena's annoyingly big, and as long as the viewers are entertained, it'll stay that way. Give 'em a boring day with no deaths, and they'll do half the work for us."

Lelouch smiled as if that was the cleverest thing he'd ever heard, while privately thinking that Luciano was an arrogant prick. Announcing that might play well with his sponsors, but he wasn't making any friends with the elite gamemakers, who had the power to affect the arena directly. "Do you need me for… anything?" Luciano shook his head, waving Lelouch off. This could be a bad sign – if he was losing interest, then he was more likely to kill Lelouch sooner rather than later, and Lelouch at least wanted a chance at him before that happened. "Then I'll go fetch water."

"I'll come too," Rolo offered. "You're kind of… um… bad. At moving. And paying attention."

If that hadn't been true, Lelouch might have been offended. "Alright. Grab one of the bottles."

They waded into the lake to get to the cleaner water. Lelouch filled the bottles while Rolo covered him, watching for threats. It felt like the time up on the cornucopia. Oddly safe, having this boy at his back.

"Done."

They waited for their feet to dry before putting their socks and shoes back on. Rolo started to get antsy, to the point that it was even unnerving Lelouch. "What? Is something there?"

"No…" Rolo bit his lower lip. "What you… _give_ to Luciano… I want that."

Lelouch froze. He had no doubt that this was most likely the most interesting thing happening (unless Luciano and Adriana were having a spectacular argument, or a cannon was about to fire) and the thought of Rolo who, despite his small size, could probably easily overpower him raping him live across Britannia, was…

"What exactly do you mean?"

"He touches you and you make him happy. I want… that."

Lelouch turned to Rolo. He was young, possibly as young as Nunnally. That didn't mean he couldn't want sex, but it was far less likely that sex was what he was really after (compared to the sixteen-year-old Luciano). He reached out. "Alright. Come here."

Rolo placed a hand on Lelouch's chest and Lelouch wrapped his arms around Rolo's shoulders, holding him close. For a long moment, the boy just stood in Lelouch's embrace, stiff as a board, until Lelouch stroked his fingers through Rolo's hair and pressed his lips against the side of Rolo's head. "Shh… relax."

And just like that, Rolo melted in his arms. Soft and small and suddenly utterly vulnerable. Lelouch pushed away his memories of Nunnally – that wasn't what this was like; Rolo wasn't family or anyone he cared about. He was just a broken boy, starved for anything like human affection. So much so that he was even willing to accept this parody of it.

A perfect tool. And if there was a part of Lelouch that felt guilt or remorse over that thought, it was quickly replaced by a myriad of plans that having Rolo on his side made possible.

When Rolo pulled away, Lelouch let him, but gently reached out to stroke his fingers over Rolo's cheek. "How was that?"

"What was it?"

Lelouch smiled, gently. "A hug, Rolo. And you can have one whenever you want."

Rolo looked uncertain. "Won't Luciano mind?"

"Maybe. But he'd take that out on me, not you. And that's fine. As long as I can give you this small thing, I'll be happy."

Rolo blushed and Lelouch couldn't believe how child-like it made him look. He leaned forward and brushed a light kiss on Rolo's forehead. "You're a sweet boy, Rolo. I'm glad that I got the chance to know you."

It was a good thing there weren't any threats on the way back, because Rolo's attention was rather unevenly divided between watching for them and spending much more time watching Lelouch, confused and hopeful and scared and all sorts of things he wasn't used to hiding. Lelouch just took his hand and laced their fingers together, likely only increasing Rolo's confusion.

When they arrived, Luciano grabbed Lelouch away from Rolo and shoved him into the tent, mounting him impatiently. At first, Lelouch thought he was upset, but given the way he seemed perfectly happy to trace Lelouch's skin when he was done, he had probably just been bored.

Lelouch hoped they found him someone to kill soon.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

By the next day, Suzaku realized he'd completely underestimated Euphy.

"These look like blueberries, but they're not." She squished one with a rock, pointing at the red flesh with a small stick. "Death is quick but agonizing. It would make good television."

Suzaku snorted, delighted at the macabre humour she showed in her lilting, musical voice. "So you've been eating plants, mostly?"

Euphy shrugged. "I tried to fashion a fishing pole, but it failed rather spectacularly. I'm… not really used to physical labour."

She looked it – more delicate than even Milly, the mayor of Area 12's daughter. But she was brilliant, easily assimilating the knowledge of plants and strategy to keep fed and keep safe. She'd been in view of the caves the entire first night when Luciano's gang had come through, but not in the caves itself. Because of that, she'd assessed the group as the main threat. Suzaku had just lucked into overhearing them.

She knew about the other Tributes too, probably not as much as Lelouch, but much more than Suzaku. Apart from Luciano and the others, she listed the boy from Area 9 (strong) and the girl from Area 7 (who Suzaku remembered as tiny and frightened, but Euphy assured him she was cleverer than she seemed) as the main threats.

"Of course, until I saw Lelouch with the others, I thought you two were going to be a team."

Suzaku flushed. "Yeah, well… that kind of fell through. He's not as nice as he seems."

Euphy smiled. "I bet he is. I bet he puts on an act, but he's really a big softy underneath." She sighed. "I don't know what I'll do if I come up against him. Cornelia would be so _mad_ at me."

"Hmm?"

"My sister. She won the games a few years back. They didn't let her mentor me." Euphy curled up. "I don't think I have what it takes to do what she did."

"What she…"

Euphy smiled. "She tore the throat out of one of the other Tributes with her teeth." Suzaku felt his eyes widen. "It was quite… dramatic."

Suzaku remembered it now. It must have been seven years ago. They'd watched it during lunch, at the regular review time, and even the hungriest children hadn't been able to finish.

Maybe he'd underestimated Euphy by _a lot_.

Euphy returned to her lecture on edible plants. "River plants with thick roots are almost always a good bet, particularly if the leaves have been nibbled by other animals…" Suzaku nodded and listened and thought to himself that Euphy was kind of amazing.

The first sign that something was wrong was the smell of fire. It wasn't the gentle scent Suzaku had woken up to before the girl from Area 12's murder. Rather it was acrid, noxious. Like burning oil.

"Euphy…"

Euphy looked up at him, then upwind. "Is that…"

It was distant, but it was unmistakable. A soft red glow that covered the entire northern horizon. Suzaku grabbed Euphy's arm.

" _Run_!"

She was fast, which was good. Suzaku had never outrun even a natural fire and, whatever this was, _natural_ didn't describe it. She pulled her hand from Suzaku's as they ran, but managed to keep pace, following in his footsteps with a faith and trust that Suzaku ached to deserve. They'd only just met and already she believed in him.

Suzaku felt his priorities shift. He would do whatever he could to protect her, as long as she let him. Of course, there wasn't much he could do against a fire…

They raced towards another river and another set of caves. The arena had clearly been mapped out to confuse with doubled (or possibly tripled) landmarks and thick tree cover to confuse orientation. But none of that mattered now, with the only important direction being _away from the fire_.

The wall of fire had almost caught up to them when the fireballs started flying. Suzaku cursed and grabbed Euphy's arm, pulling her into the shelter of a hollow worn out of stone by rushing water. They were both up to their chests in the shallow brook, ducking just under the water's surface as the world exploded in fire and smoke. Euphy clung to him and Suzaku wrapped his arms around her, covering her with his body as best he could as the shrieks of dying animals and the pressurized steam from boiling moisture nearly deafened him.

And then it stopped.


	6. The Games: Continue!

"What the hell was _that_?"

Luciano grinned. "The shepherds bringing in the lambs to slaughter. Who's up north?"

"The boys from Areas 5 and 8," Lelouch said. "I haven't heard a ca–" The sound of a cannon, cut him off. "Well. I suppose we can cross one of them off."

Adriana shook her head. "Nah, the girl from Area 1 or your Suzaku might have got caught up in it – it came from the northeast. Or the girl from Area 7 who you _lost_. All we know is that one of the five of them are dead."

 _Not Suzaku_. Lelouch was certain of that. "Good point. I'll make a note."

"One more until the final ten."

There was a long, heavy silence, and then Luciano stood up. "We're going hunting. Lelouch, you stay here."

Lelouch stood. "No."

There was another heavy silence, this one much shorter and more tense.

"… _what_?"

"I know that I'm not… well, a lot of things," Lelouch said. "But I can still be useful. I've figured out a way to rig the mines to be less sensitive, so we can pile them under rocks instead of just a thin layer of sand."

"…so?"

"So I can set traps along the way. Even if we're not there to see them go off, there's a chance they'll take some of the other Tributes out."

Adriana scoffed. Lelouch glared at her. "Look, a safe perimeter around the tent only requires eight mines. That leaves sixteen potential tools of death that we're not using. You're the strategic thinker, don't you think that's stupid?"

"I think keeping you around is stupid. I _definitely_ think bringing you on a mission that requires stealth and speed is stupid." Adriana sighed. "But you're right."

Luciano did not look pleased at Lelouch's sudden defiance. "I said that she's staying here."

"We can enter as a group and split off if we find any signs of the others," Adriana said. "But until then, we're just walking in the woods, and having your pillow-biter set traps is a better use of time than just wandering."

"There's a rocky outcropping to the south-east, just north of the grasslands," Rolo suggested. "Lelouch and I saw it when we were getting water."

Lelouch had, of course, seen nothing of the sort. "That sounds perfect."

"South-east it is," Adriana said, and set off.

Before Lelouch could follow her, Luciano grabbed him by the front of his shirt and pulled him close. "What the hell are you pulling, hmm?"

Lelouch smiled and reached up, letting his fingers slide gently over Luciano's cheek. "As fun as this has been, Luciano, I'm not all that interested in prolonging it."

Luciano's fist twisted, tightening Lelouch's collar painfully. "You think it'll be that easy? I said I'd kill you _after_ there were ten of us left. I never said at what point I'd do it."

"That's so sweet. You really know how to turn a girl's head."

The sudden kiss was actually a surprise – Lelouch had rather been expecting a punch. Still, it was harsh enough that it hurt, and that pain was truly what Lelouch had been expecting.

"Your life is mine. I _own_ it. I'll take it from you when I'm good and ready, and not a moment sooner."

Lelouch let himself relax, leaning against Luciano. "Oh. _Yes_."

" _Guys_. Hunting."

Luciano groaned against Lelouch's neck. "I'm going to kill that bitch."

Lelouch smiled. "Good luck with that," he said with utter sincerity.

They made it to the outcropping, one with a series of caves similar to the ones they'd searched before. Lelouch had an odd feeling about this – there was water and shelter and Suzaku was a hunter. This was an ideal place for him. It hadn't occurred to him that his traps might actually catch the one person Lelouch didn't want them to.

"Set up your traps while we look around," Adriana ordered. Lelouch let his eyes flicker to Luciano's, as if he was checking to see if it was okay with him. Really, he was checking to see how Luciano reacted to Adriana taking charge.

Not too well. But he still nodded grudgingly, and Lelouch started looking for places to bury his mines. He'd brought five, along with the first-aid kit again and the two short blades. As he set them up, he realized how alone he was without the other three around him, how vulnerable. He bit his lip and tried not to let his skin crawl. It was hard enough getting through this without the other three suspecting Lelouch had also figured out how to detonate the mines remotely.

He needed every advantage he could get.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

Euphy was still shaking by the time Suzaku judged it safe to get out of the water. It wasn't from the cold – as frigid as the nights were, the days were almost uncomfortably warm, even without the fire. He had no idea why she was still trembling.

"It's over, Euphy. The fire's gone and we're fine."

"I kn-n-now," Euphy said, her teeth chattering. "It's j-j-just…" She buried her face in the crook of Suzaku's neck. "Suzaku…"

Suzaku held her, feeling lost and a little frightened. Lelouch would have known what to do.

Lelouch. A canon had gone off, but that couldn't have been… no, with Luciano's protection, Lelouch was probably fine. Although, that just left one more Tribute until…

Euphy pulled away. "Okay. I think… I'm fine. Yes. I'm better now." She took a deep breath and forced a wavery smile. "Now what?"

Suzaku shrugged. The fire looked like it had taken out about half the forest, stopping only at the water line. It was a little disturbing, seeing everything north of the river burned to a crisp (or, more accurately, to charred stumps) while south of the river everything was still lush and green, only slightly wilted from the heat.

There was only one thing that Suzaku knew for sure; Euphy was shaken up by their near miss. "Why don't you gather some edible plants, since I'd just poison us if I tried, and I'll see if I can't hunt or fish something. With all that smouldering wood, we wouldn't even need to build a fire." That should give her time to get herself back together, and then she'd probably have some brilliant idea for a long-term plan.

Suzaku just wasn't a great stragetic thinker.

Euphy nodded. "Okay." She smiled, and it seemed much more natural. "But don't stray too far for too long. If you're not back in an hour, I'm coming to look for you."

Suzaku smiled and nodded in return. It was a little ridiculous how quickly and completely they'd grown to trust each other in such a short period of time, and in such an odd situation. But he finally felt like he was doing what he was supposed to do – protecting someone precious.

He trolled the river for a while, but it was moving too fast for fishing, at least for the way Suzaku fished. He moved deeper into the forest, away from the fire-scorched area, and soon found a tree with an abandoned nest.

Eggs were just as good as fish or meat.

There were three eggs in the nest that were about the same size, and a fourth that was significantly larger – likely laid by a cowbird for whatever bird laid the three other eggs to take care of. Suzaku gathered all four of them and took a moment to survey from up high.

He caught sight of a small red fox and a few squirrels, but what really caught his attention was another Tribute in the distance, on top of the rocky outcropping, who looked like he was digging out a small hole.

Looking for food? It was getting later in the day, but still warm enough for reptiles to be hiding in the shade of rocks and nooks. Suzaku squinted to see if he could make out any more details.

At that moment, the Tribute finished whatever he was doing and stood up, looking around. For the first time, Suzaku got a good look at his body type, and a fair look at his face.

There was no mistake. It was Lelouch.

Suzaku felt his heart skip a beat. Ever since he'd overheard Lelouch and Luciano under his tree, he'd been half-eager, half-dreading seeing either of them again. He was certain that Lelouch wasn't safe with Luciano, no matter what promises and offers had been exchanged, but he was also certain that Lelouch didn't want to hear anything like that from him. He'd made his choice.

Still, if it hadn't been for Euphy, Suzaku might have taken the risk and confronted Lelouch while he was alone.

… _Euphy_ …

As if summoned by that thought, a shrill, desperate cry of pain and terror ripped through the woods, the usual melodiousness of the voice twisted and warped into something almost unrecognizable.

_Almost._

"Euphy!" For a moment, Suzaku thought that cry had come from him. But no, it had actually come from the outcropping, from nearly the last person he expected to scream out her name.

Lelouch.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

 _No, no, no, no no nononono_ … This wasn't supposed to be like this. He wasn't supposed to hear Euphy's scream, listen to her probably dying, arrive just in time to watch Luciano take the final cut, slashing her throat from behind.

So much blood…

"Euphy…"

"Hoh? You knew her?" Adriana asked curiously. Euphy had two arrows sticking out of her. Adriana had taken the first shots. Lelouch wanted to kill her. He'd never be able to pull it off, so he didn't. But he couldn't keep the grief and rage off his face either.

This wasn't supposed to be like this.

By the time this happened, he was supposed to be already dead.

The cannon fired as he pushed blindly past Adriana and Luciano, kneeling beside Euphy as the last of her blood drained from her body. She probably hadn't even known he was there.

"It's okay, Euphy. You're safe now." _And Cornelia would never forgive or forget what had happened here_. "I'll see you soon."

A strong hand grabbed his hair and pulled him up. "That's not up to you, whore."

Even Luciano couldn't make much of an impression on Lelouch at the moment. "We'll see."

Before Luciano could answer, there was a loud noise, of something crashing clumsily through the bush. He released Lelouch just as Suzaku burst into the clearing, his eyes widening at the sight of Euphy on the ground.

There was a long moment of silence as Suzaku stared at Euphy, Luciano grinned at Suzaku, and Lelouch looked between Suzaku and Luciano, his mind racing.

"Was she your replacement slut?" Luciano drawled. Suzaku's eyes shot up towards him and narrowed in cold rage. Lelouch shivered and made his decision.

"Suzaku, run." Both boys turned to Lelouch. He was standing between them, practically unarmed, with nothing to lose. Euphy was dead, and no one even knew why that would matter to him. Lelouch had lasted long enough to ensure that Suzaku's nobility didn't get him killed, and he was so done with Luciano. "Don't just stand there, idiot, _run_!"

Suzaku took a startled step back, then another, then turned and fled. A flurry of arrows went after him, but apparently Adriana wasn't as good with a moving target as she was with a stationary one. Lelouch breathed out as Suzaku raced to safety, content in his actions.

"What the hell was that about?" Luciano demanded.

Adriana cursed and drew one of her short blades. "I don't _care_ what that was about, your whore just outwore her welcome." As she started moving towards Lelouch, Lelouch reflexively took a step back, and then things moved faster than he could process them.

When he pieced it back together, after the fact, he figured that Rolo must have moved before Luciano, coming up behind Adriana and driving his blade through the back of her neck, up into her brain. She twitched a few times, eyes wide open in surprise (or brain damage to her occipital lobe) before collapsing. By then, Luciano had already drawn his own blade and turned towards Lelouch, clearly intending to finish him off himself. He wouldn't have had any difficulty doing so, except for the moment of hesitation at the sound of Adriana's body hitting the ground, his stance shifting subtly from preparing to attack Lelouch to turning towards Adriana.

Then Lelouch's eyes met Rolo's. There wasn't anything there – Rolo's eyes were as dead and emotionless as usual – but somehow, Lelouch knew…

 _Thank you_.

There wasn't enough time, even for those two words, before Lelouch was running away, scrambling on the uneven ground and cursing his physical unfitness. There was a sharp pain at the back of his leg, but he ignored that as he ran on, never looking back. The sound of a cannon going off made his heart stutter for a moment as he immediately thought about Rolo. But no, that was certainly Adriana's cannon. Rolo was still alive.

…so far.

But Lelouch couldn't waste time thinking of that, of anything but running. In the back of his mind, he realized he was leaving a blatant blood trail, but even that didn't slow him down. The animal instinct to run was too strong.

Still, even over the pounding of his heart, one thought rang out clearly through his mind.

_It wasn't supposed to be like this._

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

 _Left shoulder, deep muscle, likely no serious damage_. Suzaku left the arrow in as he ran, doing his best to ignore it. It was easy to run like this, without his heavy pack, which he'd left by the outcropping, about half a mile away from where Euphy had…

Suzaku's mind shied away from that. He'd seen death before, in the mines, his own father, but those had all been from accidents or illness or, at the very worst, starvation. This had been deliberate, inflicted, and…

Lelouch had been standing over her, the one closest to her. Suzaku didn't remember if he'd been carrying a knife (a bloody knife, still dripping with Euphy's blood, warm from Euphy's body) or not, but he must have been part of what had happened.

The fact that Lelouch hadn't been near her when she'd first screamed, the fact that he'd called out her name with his voice filled with the same horror Suzaku had felt… All of that was pushed aside and forgotten with the memory of Lelouch standing practically in Luciano's arms over Euphy's dead body.

Why had he told Suzaku to run? They'd decided against an alliance. Well, Lelouch had. Had he changed his mind? But then why would he stay with Luciano after that? Or was this all a trick? Were they planning something… something with Euphy's body?

Suzaku had to stop to throw up, the horror of the situation finally overcoming him.

There had been a second canon. It was possible that another Tribute had died elsewhere, but Suzaku couldn't help but wonder if Lelouch had crossed some line. If he'd been killed buying Suzaku time to get away…

If he was dead… and Euphy was dead… Suzaku's legs gave out and he collapsed onto the forest floor. There was no point anymore. Suzaku had thought that Lelouch had been worth saving, first for Nunnally's sake, then for his own. But if he'd really killed Euphy – sweet, gentle, clever Euphy – then he was beyond saving.

It didn't matter that this was a kill-or-die situation. Someone like Euphy should never be an acceptable victim.

The temperature dropped faster than the sun set, and the anthem rang out. After pulling the arrow out of his shoulder and pressing his back against a tree for pressure against the wound, Suzaku forced himself to look up and see the faces of the Tributes who'd died.

Euphy's face, healthy and smiling down at him, was the first one displayed. Suzaku bit back a sob. Then it was gone, replaced by the girl from Area 2… Adriana, and then the boy from Area 5.

And that was it. Lelouch was still out there, somewhere. Probably curled up with Luciano, laughing about the easy kill or commiserating about the death of their ally.

There were nine tributes left. According to the deal they'd made, any moment could be Lelouch's last. Suzaku pulled his legs to his chest and tried not to care about that. If Luciano killed Lelouch, that would be simply justice for what he'd done to Euphy.

He'd almost convinced himself of that by the time he fell asleep.

He was still shivering when he woke up to the pale red light of dawn and a deep weakness. Without a cave or a sleeping bag, he'd slipped over the edge into hypothermia overnight and he'd lost some blood. It took nearly an hour for him to warm up enough that he could stand, and another to get moving. Fortunately, the day was once again shaping up to be overly warm, and soon Suzaku could feel the life returning to his fingers and toes.

Still tired, starving, and heartsick, it almost seemed like too much effort to retrace his steps, back to his backpack and the food and water and warmth it contained. The risk of walking past the place Euphy had been killed…

Instead, Suzaku made a rough estimation of where he was relative to where he'd left his pack and started walking towards the outcropping, at a slight angle from the direction he'd come in. This way, he'd avoid the river until he was well past the part where he'd last seen Euphy's body.

He hadn't even reached the outcropping when an irregularity in the forest floor made him stop and double check.

No, that wasn't a rock lying in the middle of trees and grass. It was a grey-clothed back. And that wasn't a strangely shaped red flower, it was a blood stain on a left pantleg.

And that wasn't Suzaku's eyes fooling him.

It was Lelouch, unconscious.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

" _That's your sister, Cornelia. She's favoured to win these games. And look, there beside her in that picture, that's your other sister, Euphemia."_

 _"I already_ have _a sister, Nunnally. I don't need two more. Do I have any brothers?"_

_"A few, but they're not in this year's games. Your father is very careful to make sure that you all get the chance to play, without having to play against each other."_

_"So… someday I'm going to be in the Hunger Games?"_

_"Someday. But not for a few more years, yet. And when you win, you'll get to meet your brothers and sisters in Pendragon."_

_"And father?"_

_"Perhaps. If he's not too busy."_

_"Hmm… I like Euphy more than Cornelia. She has a nicer smile."_

_"She does seem sweet. I bet she's like Nunna-chan!"_

_"Nu-huh! No one's like Nunnally. She's special 'cause she's_ mine _."_

_"She certainly is!"_

Lelouch opened his eyes. "Eu…phy…"

"Don't talk."

Ah. Suzaku. "What am… I doing… here?"

"I said don't talk."

Lelouch tried to laugh, but it came out as more of a wheeze. "Told you to… run."

Suzaku slapped his hand down on the hard stone by Lelouch's head. "Shut up! I don't want to hear anything from you right now, and you're too weak to be talking anyways."

Lelouch had to agree, although he couldn't quite place why Suzaku was so angry. Had he been allied with Euphy? If that was the case…

"Why didn't… you kill me?"

Suzaku sighed. "We spent a week together where I had to prod and pry your words out, days when I would have bled for a short conversation with you, and _now_ you decided to be all chatty."

As amusing as that was, Lelouch knew better than to try to laugh. "Why?"

"Oh, I dunno… bloodloss makes your jaw wag? Oh, don't try to give me that look, you can't even focus your eyes properly." Suzaku's hand pressed lightly against Lelouch's forehead. "…Of course I didn't kill you, Lelouch. I could never kill you."

"…idiot."

"Yeah, well… maybe. But I'm not the one who nearly bled out on the forest floor and won't shut up until he heals. So there's that."

"Mmm…" It was getting to be too much effort to keep his eyes open. Lelouch felt warm and safe for the first time in what felt like a lifetime. "'anks."

"I'm going to assume you're hallucinating tanks, because that's much more likely than you thanking me."

Lelouch really didn't want to let Suzaku have the last word like that, but he was unconscious before he could retort with anything.

What must have been a few hours later, Suzaku woke him and forced cool water down his throat, as well as a small amount of mushed something. Lelouch had never tasted anything like it before, but it was good. He ate until his stomach rebelled, and then Suzaku lay him down again and he slept. The next time he woke up, the anthem was playing, and he realized they were in a cave.

"Stupid. This is the first place they'll look."

Suzaku looked down at him. "Let them come." His voice was dark and cold. Lelouch looked away, wishing that he could believe this was the same sweet boy who'd stolen kisses from him and blushed readily.

There were two faces in the night sky, the girl from Area 7 and the boy from Area 8. No Rolo. Lelouch smiled. "I guess they found her after all…"

Suzaku grunted. "You're sounding better. How do you feel?"

"Still tired. Hungry. My leg hurts."

"Whiner."

"…getting cold."

Suzaku nodded. "Me too. Here." He settled in beside Lelouch and pulled a thin cover over them. It was immediately warmer. Also, oddly cozy.

"Here," Lelouch managed to get an arm over Suzaku's side. "Get in closer. I won't bite."

Suzaku hesitated before shifting forward, so that their legs and chests and everything in between were pressed close together. Lelouch smiled and lifted his head just enough to place a gentle kiss against Suzaku's cheek.

"…don't. I mean, you don't have to…"

"Mmm, I know," Lelouch said. "That's why I did."

Suzaku just nodded and curled up closer to Lelouch. "Get some more sleep. I wasn't able to move you all day, so I couldn't get a clear look at your leg. We'll need to do that tomorrow."

"Something to look forward to."

Lelouch closed his eyes and breathed in Suzaku's scent and tried not to dream about Euphy, the sweet sister he'd never actually met until she'd already died.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

Suzaku woke with the sun, just disoriented enough that he didn't know who exactly (Euphy or Lelouch) was in his sleeping bag with him.

He couldn't deny the flash of disappointment when he saw that it was Lelouch.

What good was he as an ally if he couldn't even get to his ally's side in time to help? If he turned tail and ran rather than confront his ally's killers?

If he took the boy who'd probably slit her throat and sheltered and cared for him, even going so far as to share his bedroll with him.

Suzaku wasn't sure what to do next. He'd meant it when he said he couldn't kill Lelouch – no matter what, he couldn't bear the thought of Nunnally witnessing her brother's death, particularly at Suzaku's hand. But, at the same time, the surge of disgusted anger at Lelouch over Euphy was insurmountable. How could he just kill her like that? Had he always been that kind of person?

Lelouch shifted and groaned in pain. Right, his leg. It had stopped bleeding yesterday, but Lelouch hadn't regained consciousness long enough for Suzaku to examine it while there was still daylight. Even now he was dangerously pale, almost grey-looking in the dawn light, and it seemed like he was in even more pain than he had been. Infection?

Suzaku reached out to test Lelouch's forehead for fever. His skin felt clammy and sticky and a little warm, but nothing hugely significant. Lelouch tilted his head up and took two of Suzaku's fingers into his mouth, sucking leisurely on the tips.

Suzaku stared, feeling his groin tighten as Lelouch took more in, his eyelashes fluttering open as he sucked. He may not have been overly feverish, but the inside of his mouth was _hot_ , and he'd clearly done this before. Suzaku knew he should pull back, move away, but he was transfixed by the sight and feel of Lelouch's lips, red and slightly chapped with dehydration, stretched around his fingers.

It took a moment, but Lelouch's eyes eventually managed to focus. "…Suzaku?"

Ah. Of course. He would have been expecting Luciano. "Morning. Ah… can you let go, please?"

Lelouch released his fingers with a wet pop and a light, teasing lick. "What were your fingers doing in my mouth?"

"Getting wet," Suzaku said sourly. "Honestly, I'm not your… whatever Luciano was."

"John? Pimp?" Lelouch sat up with a wince. "Where are we?"

"A cave, just north of where Euphy…"

Lelouch looked at him with a bland, almost blank, expression. "Walk around things, not over them. I've boobytrapped the top of this outcropping pretty well."

"Nice to know." Suzaku couldn't keep this up, dealing with Lelouch the killer. "Give me a moment to recon and we'll get your leg looked at outside."

The air outside the cave seemed fresher, even as the say started warming up. Another hot day, it looked like. The gamemakers seemed to find temperature extremes amusing. While Lelouch had been sick and barely-to-un-conscious, Suzaku has spent most of yesterday setting snares, as well as a crude fish trap. As soon as he felt no one was around and it was safe to check, he checked the water, scooping out two small silver fish. They would do for a light breakfast before he checked the other traps.

He peeled the skin off and filleted the flesh, tossing the bones and bits back into the rushing river. By the time he returned, Lelouch had managed to sit up and was poking at his leg.

"Stop that."

"Make me." Lelouch sniffed the air. "Is that the same stuff you fed me yesterday?"

"Yup. Fresh fish." Suzaku handed it to him. "You're well enough to chew it this time."

Lelouch took a tentative bite and smiled. "It's good. Maybe that's why I was sucking your fingers." Suzaku could feel himself blushing and Lelouch laughed. "Or maybe…" He leaned forwards.

Suzaku drew back, the memory of Luciano's hands on Lelouch, of Lelouch leaning over Euphy, of Lelouch pushing him away, all coming together and making him both wary and thoroughly uninterested. "Finish your fish and we'll get you checked out."

"Okay," Lelouch said easily, returning to his meal as if nothing had happened. Suzaku breathed out in a deep sigh and tried not to think too hard about the fact that he still wanted Lelouch, still found his smiling, laughing face appealing, even after all he'd done.


	7. The Games: Alliance!

Alright. New plan.

Lelouch wasn't sure what exactly was going on. Suzaku was feeding him and taking care of him, but he shied away from every touch or friendly gesture Lelouch made. Granted, finger fellatio was rather more _friendly_ than Lelouch had intended, but he'd barely been conscious at that point. That was hardly his fault.

The herd was being culled fast. Apart from Rolo and Luciano, who were probably no longer together, the only other Tributes left were the two from Area 3 who'd run west, and the boy from Area 9 who'd run into the southern fields. And Suzaku and himself.

They had some advantagesover the other Tributes, such as the mines around the tent by the cornucopia. Luciano and Rolo both knew where, exactly, they were placed (and Rolo probably knew how to defuse them, since he'd been watching Lelouch closely pretty much the whole time they were together) but it was possible they wouldn't want to risk it, given that one false move could lose then an arm. Which left the tent, and all its supplies, out-of-limits for everyone but Lelouch.

Unfortunately, it also made the tent a perfect trap for anyone with a grudge against him. Like Luciano.

The top of the outcropping was similarly mined, with only Lelouch knowing exactly where. That gave them some protection here, but not much – five mines over such a large area meant that the odds were against anyone accidentally tripping them. Lelouch had a manual detonator, but it wouldn't do him much good from inside this cave.

Suzaku had said they could leave to check Lelouch's wound. Lelouch decided to take that opportunity to figure out where, exactly, he was, and go over his options. His left leg was hurting him more than he was letting on, but maybe it just needed to be cleaned and properly dressed. Suzaku had probably botched it up somehow and made it worse.

That was easier to think than the alternative – that there was something seriously wrong.

Even if the wound was healing better than it felt, however, Lelouch was still incredibly weak – even more so than usual, he thought wryly to himself. If he stayed with Suzaku, he'd probably just be a burden, but there was no way he could just leave if Suzaku didn't let him. He needed to play the same hand he'd played before the games started – making Suzaku see him as an enemy.

That should be easier this time around. There were no impulsive love confessions, no longing looks that Lelouch had noticed, and no kisses. Suzaku was over him, probably had been the moment he'd seen Euphemia. Lelouch ignored the sharp pang of envy and decided it was probably a good thing. He could use that to convince Suzaku to let him go his own way while Suzaku went his.

As soon as they were done eating, Suzaku scooted out of the cave. "Right. Let's take a look at that leg of yours."

Lelouch winced as he tried to shift his weight onto his left leg, then gave it up for a lost cause. "Um. Would you mind giving me a hand?"

Suzaku looked at him blankly, then started clapping, slowly.

"You're not funny." But even through the pain, Lelouch couldn't help but smile at Suzaku's rare (and wholly inappropriate) sense of humour. He set his jaw and pushed himself back, letting his leg drag as he propelled himself with his arms. Suzaku stopped clapping.

"Hey, are you really…"

Lelouch shrugged. "I don't think I can put weight on it."

"Oh. Shit, I didn't… I'm sorry."

"It's fine." Lelouch made it to the mouth of the cave and gently lowered his leg over the edge. "There. Is the light good enough?" Suzaku was looking at him with a mixture of regret and shame. Lelouch rolled his eyes. "Fine, I'll look it over myself."

"No! I… I can…" Suzaku knelt down and gently cradled Lelouch's foot. Even from here, Lelouch could see that it was swollen, and just the pressure of Suzaku's fingers sent sharp spikes of pain up his leg. Then Suzaku tugged at Lelouch's pantleg, trying to move it out of the way to look over the wound.

It was a good thing the cave door was there, for Lelouch to grasp and lean against, every muscle straining to hold in the screams and only partially succeeding. He knew he was making sounds, sounds that hurt his throat as they escaped, but he couldn't hear them over the sheer volume of pain he was experiencing.

Faintly, as if from far away, he head Suzaku's voice. "Oh… this isn't good."

Lelouch passed out.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

It looked awful.

The redness, Suzaku had been expecting – he'd seen the blood when he first ran into Lelouch in the forest, although it had been mostly dark red and almost black dried blood at the time. So the fact that Lelouch's leg was bright red around the jagged cut wasn't a surprise.

Until Suzaku realized that that redness wasn't more blood that had seeped out after he'd wiped Lelouch down before stuffing him in the cave. It was under Lelouch's skin. All of it, from below his knee.

In fact, although the wound was still open, he wasn't bleeding at all. Instead, a foul-smelling yellow and green and blackish-brown substance was leaking out, crusting Lelouch's pants to his leg. It was the wound itself, however, that was the scariest part. When Suzaku wiped away the grungy gunk, whatever was under it didn't look alive. It smelled like rotting and death, and looked fetid and black.

The blade that cut him must have been filthy.

Not only that, but his leg was swollen and hot to the touch. Suzaku had gotten hurt often enough hunting that he recognized the signs of infection, but he'd never seen anything nearly this bad. His usual solutions of keeping it dry and clean and elevated probably wouldn't be enough.

At least Lelouch's whimpering had died down. "Hey, we're probably going to have to clean this somehow." Lelouch didn't answer. "…Lelouch?"

Suzaku looked up. "Oh… crap." Lelouch's face had gone from its usual pallor to practically grey as he slumped unconsciously against the side of the cave mouth. "I…" He had to do _something_. Maybe this was for the best. If he got Lelouch to the river and cleaned out before he woke up, at least that would hurt less, right?

That decided, he gathered Lelouch up in his arms as gently as he could and carried him to the water's edge. It was far too fast-moving for Suzaku to risk placing Lelouch in there alone, but the day was heating up and he figured that their clothes would dry off quickly enough if he got in too.

Clothes. He had to get the matted and crusty fabric away from Lelouch's wound.

Removing his pants would probably do more harm than good, and getting them back on (once Lelouch was awake) would probably be excruciating. They were already torn and ruined over the wound, so Suzaku decided to cut them off, just under the knee. Lelouch had been carrying two blades with him, daggers, from the look of them, that cut through the sheer waterproof fabric like a dream. Suzaku hooked them through his belt, fully intending to give them back to Lelouch once he was conscious again.

The wound still stank. Suzaku didn't know how he hadn't noticed it in the cave. Maybe because it had been covered up in crustiness.

The water was cold enough to shock Lelouch awake as Suzaku settled them down in it. He was propped against a rock and holding Lelouch basically in his lap when Lelouch gasped and clung to him as his legs were lowered into the rushing water. "Shh, it's okay, we're just…" Lelouch was making the most pitiful whimpering sounds, small and pained and hopeless as he buried his head in Suzaku's neck. Suzaku gave up on trying to comfort him, and focused on getting it over with as soon as possible.

Even with the rushing water, the wound wasn't draining fast enough. Suzaku stroked Lelouch's hair and kissed the side of his head and took out one of the daggers. "I'm sorry. This will only take a second."

The scream that ripped itself from Lelouch's lips as Suzaku sliced through his rotting skin to release a torrent of pus and blood nearly deafened them both. At least he hadn't flinched or moved and the cut was clean. Well, as clean as it could be.

As the water drew the noxious excretions downstream, Suzaku was relieved to see that at least the wound looked a little better – less swollen, less black. He secured the blade again and slid his hand down Lelouch's leg, around but not touching the wound. "Let's just get everything out at once." Lelouch, still conscious somehow, nodded against his shoulder.

Suzaku gently pushed against Lelouch's skin, sending out another cloud of putrid pus to be washed away by the river. Lelouch moaned and shifted slightly, but tolerated it well. It gave Suzaku hope.

Maybe they'd get through this after all.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

Lelouch's legs were getting numb.

It felt marvellous.

He hadn't even really realized how much pain he was in until it stopped. And Suzaku felt wonderfully warm against him, and his hands were gentle as one carded through Lelouch's hair while the other milked Lelouch's leg. It still "hurt", in that the pain was there, but it didn't feel bad anymore. It was a good kind of pain.

…actually, a _really_ good kind of pain.

He moaned again as Suzaku's hand made another pass over his calf, turning his head so that he was mouthing at Suzaku's throat. Suzaku murmured something comforting and Lelouch smiled at the thought that Suzaku thought he was moaning in pain.

He wasn't. Not exactly.

He was harder than he'd ever been from Luciano's caresses, frustrated by the faint friction between his trapped cock and Suzaku's thigh. But he couldn't hike himself up higher on Suzaku's lap, or his erection would rub directly against Suzaku's stomach, which would be _wonderful_ , but then Suzaku would know…

This was sick. But every time Suzaku touched him, every sweat and soot stained whiff of Suzaku's scent that Lelouch breathed in, every shot of pain up Lelouch's leg and roll of his hips was bringing Lelouch closer to something he'd never managed, even with Luciano's hands over him, his cock inside him, the stench of sex everywhere…

Lelouch whimpered as he came, not even the thought of Luciano enough to stave it off. Suzaku held him close and pressed kisses against his cheek, soothing him.

He didn't know. Lelouch flushed in shame; he _couldn't_ know. This was far too humiliating.

"I think we're almost done," Suzaku whispered, as if a soft voice could ease Lelouch's suffering. "It looks a lot better."

Lelouch smiled. "Thank you."

Suzaku huffed a small laugh. "That's the second time you've thanked me."

Lelouch reached up and cradled Suzaku's face in his hands, turning it towards him. "Feel free to keep count." And then he kissed him.

He'd kissed Suzaku once before, almost mockingly, after the interviews where he'd lied and sworn his love to him. This was nothing like that. This was desperate and clumsy and hungry and, as soon as Suzaku started kissing him back, wet and messy and _so_ good. In the back of his mind, Lelouch still calculated – how his beauty was more a youth's androgyny than masculinity, how this would look less like dominance and more like gratitude and would still play well to the narrative of him being a young girl in love. But that didn't really matter because mostly, in that moment, he'd never wanted anything like he wanted Suzaku.

He had no idea when that had started. He'd liked Suzaku, could even a significant attraction to him during the week before the games. But he thought he'd turned his back on those feelings when he'd decided that keeping tabs on Luciano was the best way to keep Suzaku alive.

Apparently not. Apparently, they were still there, only now they'd germinated into something bigger, something that made Lelouch gasp into Suzaku's mouth as Suzaku's cold hand rose from the water to grip his thigh, made him want to beg for more, to strip both of them naked and press close and then closer, until they were locked together as tightly as two separate beings could get…

Suzaku broke away, staring wide-eyed at Lelouch. "…wow."

"Why did you stop?" At least Lelouch sounded breathless rather than pleading.

"We… I… you… we still have to deal with your leg."

Oh. Right. Lelouch looked down at it. He hadn't really seen it clearly before, but it looked rather messy and disgusting, with rotted flesh hanging on by filaments to healthier tissue. He slid off Suzaku's lap and immediately fell, kneeling down in the rushing water.

"Lelouch!"

"I'm fine." Lelouch took a deep breath. "Cut it out."

"…what?"

"The black stuff. While it's still numb from the cold water. Cut as much of it out as you can."

Suzaku hesitated for a moment, then nodded, taking out a dagger and moving around behind Lelouch.

He Lelouch could feel the blade slicing through his skin like fire. The cold water kept him conscious, but his arms trembled from the effort of holding himself up. He was just so weak…

"Done."

Lelouch collapsed with grateful exhaustion. Suzaku's arms were already there to catch him.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

Suzaku hadn't been lying when he'd said Lelouch's wound was looking better. For a moment, Lelouch himself had also been looking better – more colour in his face, brighter eyes, a stronger grip. For a moment. Most of that had faded after the kiss, and it was gone completely now, his face once again pale and ashen, his eyes dull with weakness and pain.

But at least his wound was looking better.

Suzaku carried him back to the cave, a little worried by Lelouch's lack of complaints. The first aid kit Lelouch had originally been carrying was there, and Suzaku squirted out a generous amount of a topical anaesthetic and anti-infectious gel onto the wound before dressing it. It was a good thing Lelouch had had his pick of supplies.

"Are you hungry?"

"Thirsty," Lelouch answered faintly. Suzaku passed him the water bottle and Lelouch drank a small amount. "…and tired."

"Alright. Get some rest and… make more blood or something. I'll go check the snares to see if I've caught any meat for you." Suzaku leaned forward, intending on pressing a kiss to Lelouch's forehead, when he remembered.

Euphy.

How could he have forgotten? How could Lelouch's pain have driven all thoughts of Euphy's _death_ from Suzaku's mind? Or was it even the pain – it could have been the kiss.

"Here." He placed one of the daggers on the cave floor. "Just in case."

Lelouch laughed weakly. "I couldn't fend off a mewling babe right now, Suzaku." Suzaku ignored that and pressed the handle into Lelouch's hand. "Fine." He raised the blade to his lips, then pointed it at Suzaku's heart. "Go with my blessing and my love." He smiled. "Or something."

"Cute." Suzaku tried to sound cold, but it came out charmed. It was too easy to fall for Lelouch. He had to keep his guard up.

The sun was just past the zenith and the heat of the day had arrived. It was cooler by the river, but Suzaku's snares had a far wider range than that. He had to return to the river to refill his water bottle three times before finishing the circuit. The pickings were slim but acceptable – two squirrels (freakily black, but otherwise apparently normal and well fed). On his way back, Suzaku noticed a large, slow-moving family of birds and made a mental note of them – he still had that spear somewhere…

He was returning to camp when he realized he was actually, genuinely enjoying himself. It felt like a piece of home, being out here in the forest, hunting again. All it was missing was Kallen and the others, and the sense of friendly competition and companionship.

Which he didn't really get from Lelouch. No. He got something else altogether with him…

 _Hot breath and lips against his throat, hands fisted in his shirt, thin hips moving against him, soft moans and whimpers echoing in his ears_ …

He had to stop thinking that way. It was sick, getting off on Lelouch's reaction to pain. It didn't help that Lelouch had immediately followed up on that by kissing Suzaku like he was starving for him, desperate and needy and perfect in Suzaku's arms. Talk about mixed messages. And then, the way he'd fallen to his knees in front of him, the very picture of absolute submission…

Until he opened his mouth and started giving orders. Suzaku smiled. It was just as well that the real Lelouch didn't fit perfectly into his fantasies. He was hard enough to resist as it was.

When Suzaku returned to the cave, Lelouch was already asleep, his leg propped up against Suzaku's empty backpack. It was too warm to stay outside in the sun, so Suzaku crawled in anyways and sat by him, skinning the animals while Lelouch slept until he noticed the still almost-full waterbottle by Lelouch's hand.

If he was thirsty, why didn't he drink? It was endlessly frustrating.

Suzaku shook his head and continued working until the meat was cleaned. He'd start a fire and sunset and roast them, and then feed Lelouch his share, piece by piece if he had to.

Euphy had already been killed and he hadn't been able to stop it. Suzaku wasn't about to let Lelouch die on him as well, not while he could help it.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

Lelouch woke up in Suzaku's arms, with Suzaku's warmth surrounding him and Suzaku's breath ghosting over his ear.

…and Suzaku's erection poking his stomach.

"Hmm… so you do have one," Lelouch whispered, shifting his hand between their bodies to rub and caress the hot hardness between Suzaku's legs as he raised his chin to press a kiss against Suzaku's cheek…

"What the _hell_?" Suzaku jerked back, his sudden movement jarring Lelouch's leg painfully. "What are you _doing_?"

"Nothing! Much…" Lelouch felt better than he had yesterday. Still fatigued, but the food and rest had helped. "Don't pretend you didn't want it."

Suzaku scrambled out of the sleeping back, shivering in the dawn's cool air. "Dammit, Lelouch, I told you I'm not like Luciano! I don't want you to do… _that_."

"What if I wanted it?" Lelouch asked. "Would you deny me?"

" _Yes_!" Suzaku sighed. "Look, just… stay here. I'm going to check the river."

As he stalked away, arms wrapped around himself, Lelouch watched him pensively. He wasn't entirely comfortable with their relationship as it stood – he was completely at Suzaku's mercy and also in Suzaku's debt. And if Suzaku wouldn't take sexual favours, there was no way for Lelouch to pay him back.

Maybe when Suzaku got back they'd talk strategy. It was better than just sitting around eating Suzaku's food as Suzaku tended to his leg.

Speaking of… Lelouch tested it gingerly and realized that it bore his weight. It felt strange, like skin wrapped around soggy flesh, but it was steady enough for Lelouch to crawl out of the cave and limp towards a tree to empty his bladder and take a look around.

He couldn't orient himself from here. He needed more vantage points. The river was east, but that didn't help. Lelouch started walking, slowly and leaving a trail a blind man could follow, around the outcropping. It took a while, but eventually he found a familiar rock formation and managed to pinpoint the five mines he'd planted from there. Satisfied, he started to return to the cave.

"Well, well, well… this is a surprise."

Lelouch froze.

"I thought you'd be dead by now, but your face never showed up in the sky. Still, fucked up your leg, didn't I?"

Lelouch turned slowly. "Luciano." He drew his dagger. "You half-killed me, you bastard."

Luciano grinned and stalked forward, closing the distance between them. "Want me to do the other half?"

Lelouch shifted his grip on the dagger, flipping it to hold it out, handle first. "Yes." Luciano looked surprised. "We had a deal. A clean death."

"You ran."

"I did. I was terrified. But we still had a deal. I kept my end of the bargain."

Luciano smiled cruelly. "Did you? I thought the deal was that I would use you until I was done with you."

"So use me once again, and then end it. The games draw to a close, Luciano. If someone else gets me… if _Suzaku_ gets ahold of me… I don't want to deal with that pain again."

Luciano seemed to consider that for a moment. Then he reached out and took Lelouch's dagger. "Done. Strip."

Lelouch's shirt came off easily enough, but he had to brace himself against a tree to loosen his pants. Luciano watched him, palming himself through his own pants, carelessly leaning against the rocky outcropping…

Lelouch paused. "Shall I come to you?"

"Like always."

"Could we do it over there? My leg is still hurting and that looks there's like more support."

Luciano grunted and shifted, moving about fifteen paces to the side. "Here?"

"Perfect," Lelouch said, smiling, and reached into his pocket and to press a small button.

It could have short-circuited from the water. It could have gotten gummed up with blood. It could even have been unusable in the first place – Lelouch hadn't ever had the chance to test it.

But it hadn't. And it wasn't. It worked.

The top of the outcropping exploded, sending rocks and debris everywhere. But right underneath, where Luciano stood, a chunk of the rock wall itself loosened and fell.

And Luciano's arms, raised in defence, offered little to no protection.

He was still alive when Lelouch limped over to him, but his chest was crushed badly enough that he couldn't speak. Lelouch reached out and touched his hair, fully aware everything was being recorded.

"You were a lousy fuck, Luciano."

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

No fish, and now no Lelouch. This was shaping up to be a _fabulous_ morning.

Suzaku debated with himself between following the obvious trail Lelouch had left or just waiting for him to come back. The debate didn't last long – Suzaku wasn't a patient person.

He'd just started out when he heard something that sounded like an explosion. Years of living in a mining community had his feet running towards the sound before his brain even bothered thinking up the odds of this being some sort of trap, even when it was soon followed by a cannon.

It wasn't. Or, if it was, Lelouch was behind it and it probably wasn't a trap for Suzaku.

"Ah, Suzaku, great. Can you help me get Luciano's pants off?"

This felt like a fever dream. Maybe Suzaku was the one with the wound infection and he was dreaming all this. Including the shirtless Lelouch. He was pretty sure he'd dreamed that up sometime before.

"Suzaku?"

"Ah, right…" He started tugging on Luciano's pants before asking the obvious question. "Why's half the mountain on top of him?"

"Because he's an easily-led horndog." Lelouch paused in his searching of Luciano's pockets to press a kiss to Suzaku's cheek. "I could never have trapped you like this."

Suzaku shuddered at how easily Lelouch spoke of betrayal, how comfortable he was with taking the life of his former protector. Lelouch looked a little hurt. "Suzaku, these are the Hunger Games. We're among the last six left. It would be odd if neither of us had killed anyone by this point."

"What about Euphy?"

"Euphy?" Lelouch frowned. "That's a little… I mean, I was technically a member of Luciano's group when he killed her, but I wasn't even there. I don't think they count group stats when recording kills."

Suzaku stared at him. "You mean you didn't…"

"What? No!" Lelouch stared at him. "Is _that_ why… I thought you were just angry at me for following the man who killed your girl. I never knew you thought that I personally…" He sat back heavily, shaking his head. "Why didn't you kill me? I would have killed me."

"I'm not you."

"No. You're not," Lelouch sounded thoughtful, almost impressed. "You're Suzaku. And I think I'm just beginning to understand what that means."

Suzaku was the first to look away, pulling Luciano's pants off. "I told you to stay in the cave."

"Suzaku…"

"You should have at least stayed near it. What if I couldn't find you?"

" _Suzaku_ …"

"Thoughtlessly wandering around out here where anyone can come across you and try to…"

Lelouch grabbed Suzaku's face and kissed him. "Hush. I'm safe, love. Don't cry."

He _was_ crying, Suzaku realized. And not just tears, but the tightness in his throat that felt like sobs trying to escape.

Lelouch hadn't killed Euphy.

He wasn't dead or fatally injured or crippled.

All the things Suzaku felt for Lelouch were okay. He was allowed to.

Suzaku dropped Luciano's stupid pants and launched himself at Lelouch, holding him close and peppering light kisses over his face and neck. Lelouch held him right back, pressing himself against Suzaku's body, wincing slightly as he put pressure on his leg.

"…sorry," Suzaku breathed out between kisses.

"No, it's fine." Lelouch gasped as Suzaku nipped at his throat. "It's all fine. Suzaku…" He hooked his good leg over Suzaku's hip, pulling him in closer. Suzaku's hand slid down Lelouch's side, leaving dirty tracks over pale skin until he got to the top of Lelouch's pants. Lelouch moaned and canted his hips up and Suzaku hooked his fingers in the waistband and…

And froze.

They were about to do… _something_ right next to a corpse. The thought was incredibly offputting.

"What's wrong?" Lelouch asked.

"Nothing." Suzaku kissed him. "Nothing, just… not here."

Lelouch looked over at Luciano's crushed body and nodded. "Alright. But before we go, can you move that big rock? Just a little?"

Suzaku managed to roll it slightly over. Lelouch's clever hands made quick work of the belt around Luciano's waist and pulled a sword and scabbard free from under him.

"There." Lelouch smiled proudly as he presented them to Suzaku. "Rent."

Suzaku just shook his head and laughed.


	8. The Games: Endgame!

It rained all the next day, torrents of blinding rain and heavy winds that made walking and even breathing difficult outside the cave. The good thing about that was that it meant they had enough potable water. The bad news was that cut them off from their food supply, and made the cramped cave even mustier and more uncomfortably humid.

"I should go out there and check the snares."

"Don't be ridiculous," Lelouch said, snuggling close to Suzaku despite the heaviness of the air. "Nothing's going to be crawling around in this weather."

"The fishing traps at least…"

"The river will be running too fast." Lelouch kissed Suzaku's cheek, then his jaw, then his neck, until Suzaku turned his head and kissed him back. "Just stay here, with me."

The rain had cooled off the air somewhat from the day's usual dry heat, and Lelouch found Suzaku's warmth more comforting than the sleeping bag's, although that was probably because his fever made the damp air feel clammy rather than humid. Even so, they both quickly grew bored and looked for distractions. Suzaku still refused to have sex, so that option was out. Lelouch was still too physically weak to do much else (and, honestly, even sex was probably a little ambitious) so that pretty much left conversation.

"I wonder who this rain is for."

"The Tributes from Area 3," Lelouch said promptly. "They come from a fairly industrial Area, and have pretty much survived on luck so far – the firewall and Luciano both targeted the northeast, and they ran west. A little rain wouldn't stop Rolo, and the boy from Area 9 ran into the grasslands by the lake – rain alone isn't going to affect him much." If anything, the wind would be what bothered him, if it was a little stronger, as he would have little shelter from a tornado.

Suzaku stared at him. "You… you really know what you're doing, don't you?"

Lelouch smiled. Time to earn his keep. He grabbed a stick and drew a rough sketch of the arena. "Assuming that the cornucopia is in the center, and that the lake takes up most of the southwest, the rest of the arena is mostly forest. He traced an "x" east of the cornucopia. "This is us." He scratched out a large section above them. "This is the area destroyed by the fire. No one's going to be up there."

Suzaku drew his dagger and made an elongated "s" coming from the fire-scorched area down past their "x". "This is the river." Lelouch nodded and drew a few more lines.

"This is the outcropping we're in now. And this is the grassland that the boy from 9 ran into." He drew a large circle. "And this is where the Tributes from Area 3 are." He sliced the southern corner of the circle. "By the lake, most likely. They're not outdoorsmen, they'd stay by water."

Suzaku nodded, then his eyes widened. "Are you suggesting we go after them?"

Lelouch laughed. "Given how I doubt I can make it out of this cave, no. This is just setting the stage." He pursed his lips. "The only one I'm unsure of is Rolo. While both he and Luciano were alive, the tent we set up was too obvious for either of them to run to, without risking the other using it as a trap. With Luciano gone, he might have returned." Food, warmth, shelter, weapons. It was a good refuge.

But would he risk it, knowing Lelouch was still alive?

Suzaku's thoughts seemed to be moving along the same tangent. "What would be stopping him now?"

Lelouch shook his head. "He killed Adriana and saved my life. But I killed Luciano and that likely indirectly saved his. We're even now. I can kill him if need be."

"…you don't want to."

"Don't tell me what I want to do."

Suzaku pulled Lelouch close, disrupting the southeastern aspect of their map. "You can't fool me, Lelouch. You don't want to kill anyone."

Lelouch lifted his head and pressed gentle kisses against Suzaku's lips. "I don't want to kill you or see you die. Everyone else…"

"You don't mean that."

"I would raze villages, crush kingdoms, decimate whole cultures for your safety, Suzaku." Lelouch clumsily settled himself in Suzaku's lap, erasing the map with his ungainly injured leg. "You're the only one who matters to me."

Suzaku kissed him. "If we were the last ones standing, what would you do?"

"Are you asking me if I'd die for you?"

"I'm asking if you'd kill me then."

Lelouch looked horrified for a moment, as if that thought had never even occurred to him, before his expression settled into a more general sullenness and he wrapped his arms around Suzaku's neck. "I don't want to talk about that."

"We're two of the final six left, Lelouch. It's a possibility."

"I don't want to talk about it," Lelouch insisted quietly, but with an odd desperation. "You're not allowed to die, Suzaku. You can do whatever else you want, as long as you _live_."

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

The soft beeping roused Suzaku from his half-daze, stilling his hand from gently stroking Lelouch's hair as he dozed. The confrontation over Suzaku's death and the subsequent passionate make-out session that was Lelouch's clear attempt to make Suzaku _shut up_ had apparently drained what little energy he had left, which meant that Suzaku was able to slip away and figure out what was making that noise.

It wasn't loud. In fact, Suzaku was amazed he could hear it over the rain. It was, however, persistent and piercing through the steady rhythm of the falling rain and rumbling wind.

Suzaku peered out of the cave, doing his best to keep to the shadows despite the almost complete lack of visibility. Even his eyes, trained in hunting and naturally sharp, barely made out the small red light blinking only a few paces away from the cave entrance.

The winds were still howling, and the rain was still coming down in torrents, but Suzaku's natural curiosity overcame his reluctance to get wet (well, soaked) and, after a quick look around to make sure that there was no one else in sight, he dashed out and grabbed the metal canister attached to the cheerfully blinking and beeping light.

His heart lept as he realized what this was – a gift from either his or Lelouch's sponsors. Or, possibly, both. Maybe it was something to make Lelouch's leg better, or a weapon they could use; last year the winning tribute had been given a trident, his native weapon, hours into the first day – a testament to how many devoted followers he'd already made within hours of the games. The canister was far too small for that, but perhaps a projectile weapon, one that Lelouch could use…

Suzaku quickly returned to the cave and opened it. He tried not to let the disappointment show on his face as it revealed a small bowl of broth and two insulated mugs with their tops firmly on, sealing in the scent of whatever they held. Suzaku tried to look at the bright side of things – broth was certainly better for Lelouch than the tough squirrel meat that Suzaku had tried to save, and just knowing that they had sponsors would probably make Lelouch pleased.

To that end, Suzaku gently nudged Lelouch awake, smiling when Lelouch blinked up at him. "Hey. We got a present."

Lelouch frowned, as if trying to parse Suzaku's meaning. Then his eyes widened. "You mean…"

Suzaku held up the bowl of broth. "Soup!"

If he hadn't been watching for it, he would have missed the moment of irritation before Lelouch pasted on a bright grin. "Just one bowl? We'll have to share."

"It'll be romantic," Suzaku said, picking up the thread of that as he sat Lelouch up and set up the bowl and mugs around them.

"What's this?" Lelouch asked, picking up the mug. Suzaku shrugged, so Lelouch opened it.

Immediately, the cave was filled with the warm, rich scent of chocolate.

The smile on Lelouch's face softened to something more sincere as he took a ginger sip of the hot liquid. Suzaku nudged his shoulder, passing him the broth. "Don't fill up on deserts, you'll ruin your supper."

Lelouch shot him a wry smile, both of them amused at a sentiment that had been alien to them (overeating to the extent of being unable to eat further) before the games. Together, they finished the broth and the hot chocolate and Lelouch nestled back in against Suzaku's side and fell asleep. This time, Suzaku joined him.

He awoke just before sunset, as the rains slowed and stopped, letting the sun's weak rays peek through the clouds before it disappeared. It was beautiful, and Suzaku was considering waking Lelouch to watch it with him.

Then, the trumpets blared.

After a certain point in the games, there was usually an announcement – an invitation to a "feast" to gather as many of the remaining Tributes together as possible, or (less subtly) a tournament with a prize of the winner's choice. But that usually only happened after a long, boring stretch or if there were either too many Tributes left after a certain time, or too few over too large an area. These games hadn't been running long, and (apart from the gamemaker-generated rain day) there hadn't been a single day that could be considered "dull".

Lelouch stirred against Suzaku. "Huh? Whazzit…"

"An announcement," Suzaku answered. "I don't know what it's about."

"Congratulations to all six Tributes still in play!" Clovis's voice boomed out. "As the sun sets on our seventh day, marking the end of the first week of the games, we'd like to announce a rule change!"

"…what?" Lelouch murmured against Suzaku's skin, stiffening.

"Given how exceptionally well these games are going, we've decided to reward those still around. If you can find your Area mate, and both of you are the last two Tributes standing, your Area will be declared the winner!"

There was a long pause. Suzaku wasn't sure he understood was that meant…

"Yes, indeed! This year, if the odds are in your favour, the Hunger Games might have _two_ winners!"

Lelouch sat up. "Suzaku!" His eyes were wide and bright and Suzaku wanted him so badly…

He tasted a little stale from sleeping when Suzaku kissed him, but that hardly mattered compared to the passion of his kisses in return. When Suzaku pulled away to breathe, Lelouch climbed on top of him, straddling him with an excited, almost manic gaze. "I get to keep you."

Faintly, in the background, Suzaku could hear the anthem playing. But instead of standing as he should have, he leaned back and let Lelouch move on top of him, Lelouch's words echoing through his mind.

_I get to keep you._

Whatever had grown between them had always had a clear expiration date. It had made Suzaku withdraw and Lelouch catty. But now that was gone. Now they had the chance to make it through this together, and come out the other side not only alive, but Victors, with everything they'd ever dreamed of. Including each other.

The future, which had seemed impossible a few minutes ago, was now awash in new possibilities. It pleased Suzaku every bit as much as it seemed to please Lelouch but, unlike Lelouch, it didn't make him immediately eager. Instead, it made him patient.

They would have forever. And, right now, the entire country was watching them.

Suzaku didn't want to share this. Not with anyone.

Lelouch's hands scrambled at Suzaku's waistband, trying to get inside, down the front of Suzaku's pants. Suzaku grabbed his wrist, stopping him. "Lelouch, wait."

"No, I don't want to, I want you…" Lelouch kissed him desperately, wriggling in Suzaku's grip. "Please, Suzaku, let me have you, inside me, _please_ …"

"Not here, not now." Suzaku kissed him softly, manhandling him until he had his arms wrapped around Lelouch's body, pinning his arms to his chest. "When we get out of here, you can have me, however you want me."

Lelouch shook in his arms. "I've never wanted anything like I want this. It's scary." He sounded so… young.

Suzaku kissed him and held him tighter. "You'll have it, Lelouch. I swear." Lelouch breathed out, a cleansing breath, and relaxed against Suzaku as the night deepened around them.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

Had last night really happened? Lelouch lay in Suzaku's arms, refusing to fully wake up while his mind toyed with his memories. The Hunger Games really only had two rules – entertain the Britannians, and only the last Tribute standing got out alive. The gamemakers did everything to ensure that once a game became boring they either made it interesting or ended it. They also made sure that the last Tribute got out alive, even if that meant literally bringing them back from death.

Two years ago, they'd flooded the arena and had to fish out the last living Tribute and restart her heart twice after she'd technically drowned. She was still around, but she hadn't mentored any of the Tributes from her Area since. Dying twice had probably taken a toll on her.

There had been seventy-three Hunger Games up until now. There had never been more or less than one Victor per game. This was… unprecedented.

And it was either for them or for the pair of Threes somewhere in the western woods.

Probably, it was for them. The timing – the announcement coming hours after their aborted conversation about one of their inevitable deaths – was far too convenient.

That meant the gamemakers were on their side, in a manner of speaking. They'd want them to last until whatever the final face-off would be, and maybe even arrange it so they had the advantage at that confrontation. This changed things – while the gamemakers rarely outright killed Tributes, they could arrange for disasters (like a flood or the fire earlier that week) within the arena itself. It wasn't something Lelouch could count on, but it was a factor to consider.

Suzaku's breathing changed and he shifted slightly, clearly trying not to disturb Lelouch. It was sweet. Lelouch could have reassured him that he was awake, pressed a kiss to his jaw or lips, and started the morning, but he wanted to lie here in Suzaku's arms for a while longer.

Actually, he wanted to wake up with Suzaku's cock up his ass, but apparently that wasn't going to happen. Lelouch wasn't sure how he felt about that (other than disgruntled). On one hand, it was prudent and even a little sweet for Suzaku to present a chivalric front. On the other, Lelouch couldn't help but worry that Suzaku didn't want him anymore, now that he'd been had by Luciano.

Well, they'd need to get out of this alive for it to even matter, since Suzaku adamantly refused to fuck for the cameras. One thing at a time.

"Are you awake?" Suzaku asked softly.

Lelouch sighed. "It's too early."

Suzaku chuckled and kissed his forehead, shifting to free his arm. "Feel free to stay in bed. I'm just going to check the snares."

Lelouch grabbed his arm. "Collect them when you're done. After that announcement, we're going to go on the offensive."

"…really?"

"The gamemakers are planning something. I want to be moving before they decide they need to force us out."

Suzaku nodded. "Okay." Apparently, he remembered Lloyd's (and everyone else's) advice to follow Lelouch's instructions. "I'll be back soon." He put on a faux-stern expression. "No wandering around on your own this time."

"What are you complaining about?" Lelouch asked, grinning. "It turned out for the best."

Suzaku's expression softened into something genuinely concerned. "Just… don't. I'll be back soon."

"Alright. Be safe."

After Suzaku left, Lelouch changed the bandage on his leg, wrinkling his nose at the smell and the pain that came with every bandage change. This was why he tried to only do this when Suzaku was gone – he didn't want Suzaku to worry about him.

It still looked messier than Lelouch would like. Pus still leaked out steadily, despite the anti-infectious numbing ointment, and the redness around the wound had never really gone away. But there was no more black tissue, and there was less swelling than before, and the numbing ointment worked well enough that Lelouch could walk on it. As long as he kept it tightly bandaged, it should be fine until the games were over and an actual doctor could see to it.

Or, of course, until Lelouch died.

Lelouch shook himself to clear his mind of such morbid thoughts and slipped out of the cave to bury his old bandages.

They'd be gone in a few hours, but there was no reason not to leave a clean cave behind them.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

Suzaku wasn't surprised that Lelouch had woken with a plan. He always seemed to have at least one on the go. He was, however, a little surprised that Lelouch's plan included leaving the relative security of their homey little cave and entering the fray with four other Tributes all set on killing them. That just seemed tactically like a bad move.

But Lelouch didn't think tactically, from what Suzaku had seen. Allying himself with Luciano had been a poor tactical move, leaving his back open to a total psycho's whims. But it had been a brilliant strategic move, putting Lelouch where he needed to be when he needed to be there. In fact, if he'd stayed closer to Luciano then he might have been able to do something about Euphy, if he'd chosen to.

The way he'd warned Suzaku off, nearly getting himself killed in the act.

Again, not a great tactical move.

So going on the offensive… that must be Lelouch's strategic mind at work. Suzaku didn't have to understand it, he just had to follow orders.

He could do that.

It was kind of too bad that his snares were as full as they were, if they were leaving today. A fox was still struggling in one of them, alive but weak. Suzaku freed him, careful not to get bitten in the process, and hoped that gesture of mercy impressed whatever powers watched over them.

His hand wrapped around the token Kallen had given him – the phoenix rising from flames. Suzaku, the Guardian God of the South. A vestige of a tradition Suzaku's father had respected, even if he didn't remember it clearly from his own childhood. Any aspect of culture that was unique to any of the Areas had been systemically broken down – churches, temples, even fairy tales had been replaced by the Britannian idea of Social Darwinism. Kallen and Suzaku's families had been two of the few who remembered any of the old gods.

Not that Suzaku believed, really. Just that… if they were out there, maybe they'd offer him some protection.

But it wasn't like that was something he could count on. The only things he could count on were his own strength, and Lelouch.

Weak, injured, too-smart-for-his-own-good Lelouch.

He was standing by the cave entrance when Suzaku returned, wearing Luciano's pants rather than his own ripped-up ones. "Nice haul." He'd packed up their things, even the sleeping bag.

Suzaku smiled, pleased at the praise. "I think they got more active after the rain stopped." He frowned. "What should we do with them?"

"Skin them," Lelouch instructed. "I'll make a fire and we'll eat as much as we can and carry the rest."

Suzaku frowned. "You want to risk a fire?"

"If anyone comes, I'm ready for them. But I doubt they will – last night's announcement will have everyone preparing for Endgame."

He just had to follow orders. Suzaku prepared one of the rabbits while Lelouch started a small fire. They had saved some wood in the cave, so there was actually very little smoke from the dry wood. Lelouch's hands moved confidently as he set up a cooking fire, moving smoothly and easily as if he hadn't lost enough blood that he'd passed out a few days ago and had a leg that could barely bear his own weight.

Suzaku just hoped that Lelouch's plans included the fact that he'd be almost completely useless in a fight.

Not that he'd have been all that useful before…

"What're you smirking at?"

"Nothing! Uh… the rabbit's done."

Lelouch shot him a suspicious look, but accepted the animal, setting it up on a spit. "We have two options. Heading through the woods or dipping down south through the grasslands. Either way, we risk running into one of the other Tributes."

He paused, and Suzaku realized he was waiting for Suzaku's answer. A surprised smile crossed Suzaku's face – he'd expected to be given his marching instructions and that would be it. But it seemed like Lelouch wanted his input, not just his protection.

It made him feel… valued.

"Ah, I think I'd feel more comfortable in the forest. I have a better feel for it." From the years of hunting in a similar forest, not that he'd ever say that.

Lelouch nodded. "Alright, that actually simplifies things." He took the squirrels from Suzaku and set them up beside the rabbit. "Here's the plan…"

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

This wasn't a good sign at all.

Just walking from the cave to the forest's edge, to the clearing that held the cornucopia and the tent filled with supplies, had taken almost all of Lelouch's energy. He'd thought he was feeling better, and had forced down a whole squirrel, as well as almost half a rabbit and as much water as his bladder would allow. But apparently that wasn't enough and he was already exhausted and his leg ached even through the numbing gel.

And the fighting hadn't even started yet.

"Look, just… stay here and tell me what to do," Suzaku said, his mouth tight with worry. "I'll be as quick as I can and come back for you."

Lelouch laughed. "Yes, that's what's important the first time you try disarming an active landmine – speed."

Suzaku huffed impatiently. "Well, you can barely move! I'm not letting you go out there, all exposed and unable to dodge or defend yourself."

"No, that's quite out of the question," Lelouch agreed. "Get down here for a second." He pulled himself up so that he was sitting, with his back propped up against a tree. Suzaku leaned down and Lelouch tugged on his shirt until he knelt at his side.

"What is it?"

Lelouch kissed him, soft and lingering. Suzaku pulled away. "We don't have time for this…"

"We don't have time _not_ to do this," Lelouch countered, kissing Suzaku again. This time, Suzaku kissed back, his hands coming up to cup Lelouch's face. "Mmm, yes… Suzaku…" Lelouch's mind raced as they kissed, coming up with ideas, running simulations, and discarding flawed plan after flawed plan. Suzaku pulled back.

"What are you thinking about?"

Lelouch leaned back against the tree. "We're under decent coverage here. Keep watch, I'm going to sleep."

Suzaku stared at him. " _Seriously_?"

"Seriously. I can't send you out there alone, and I can't make it in the shape I'm in. This is the only option." Lelouch closed his eyes. "Give me about an hour. Then we'll eat again and I'll reformulate our plans."

He heard Suzaku muttering something and then stomping off, likely to find a better vantage point to stand guard. Such an obedient boy. Lelouch allowed himself to feel hurt and tired and a little sick as he rested, letting down his mental barriers. It felt almost good, like a release, even as his leg throbbed and his stomach rebelled. He doubted he'd manage to sleep, but even just an hour of rest would do him a world of good.

If Suzaku would just _stop shaking him_. "What?"

"It's been an hour. Do you need more time?"

Lelouch blinked. Had he really managed to sleep? He must have been more exhausted than he thought. "No. Help me up." He raised a hand and Suzaku took it, pulling him to stand. Lelouch didn't let go once he was up, however, instead pulling Suzaku against him, sandwiching himself between Suzaku and the tree. "Kiss me."

This time, Suzaku had no complaints as he followed Lelouch's order. Lelouch basked in the pleasure of Suzaku's body against his, as strong and solid as his kisses were soft and gentle. He wrapped himself in that pleasure, using it to tamp down the nausea and pain as he brought his mental barriers back up.

"You're thinking again."

"I do that." Lelouch didn't let Suzaku pull away, holding him in a light embrace. "…this isn't going to work."

"What?"

"I can walk, but I can't run. I can think, but I can't fight. I'm too useful to be a liability and too weak to be functional." He pressed his lips to the side of Suzaku's head. "I'm sorry."

Suzaku shook his head. "Don't talk like that. If you can't run or fight, then _use me_. I'll run around enough for the both of us."

Lelouch smiled. "Alright. Then there's been a change of plans. Instead of disarming the mines, I'll just have you detonate them." He passed Suzaku the remote detonator. "This only works within ten meters, or about fifteen paces. If you run out from here, straight towards the cornucopia, for about a hundred… no, for you about ninety paces, you should be in range to detonate enough of them to clear a path."

"But I'll be exposed the whole time."

Lelouch nodded. "That why I'd intended to disarm them with you guarding me. But this will work."

"Alright," Suzaku said, clutching the remote. "Let's do this."

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

Once Suzaku left the trees, there'd be no cover. He'd be open to any attack that might come his way. Lelouch had gone over what the other tributes were good at (Rolo was quick and precise with a blade, although not as good from a distance, the girl from Area 3 was brilliant at network, the boy was decent with a spear, and the boy from Area 9 was big and strong. "Although," Lelouch had murmured, his fingers idly tracing Suzaku's biceps, "not necessarily stronger than you.") and the risk of long-distance attacks was real.

At least Luciano was out of the picture. He threw knives with deadly speed and accuracy.

But this was the plan Lelouch had made; the best of all their alternatives. Suzaku mentally smothered the faint worry that Lelouch was using him as bait – that would be a poor allocation of resources and, besides, it wasn't as if Lelouch was in any shape to take advantage of it. He'd given Suzaku all the weapons, save for one dagger, just in case. He was trusting him. Suzaku needed to trust him in return.

Besides, he'd been willing to die for Lelouch from the start.

He took a deep breath and checked one more time for any signs of movement within sight. Nothing. That didn't mean that no one was there, but there was nothing else to do, really.

But run.

He made it more than halfway there (just over fifty paces) when he heard a loud roar and turned to see a giant bearing down on him, with a large club. He dodged, barely, and drew his sword, taking a moment to get his bearings.

It was the boy from Area 9. He was big, but not nearly as big as he'd seemed during his rush. With the element of surprise eliminated, Suzaku felt like they were on fairly even ground.

…the ground. Shit, there were landmines _everywhere_. Lelouch had told him where they were, but he hadn't been able to orient himself properly and finally Lelouch had just told him to move forward in a straight line.

Suzaku… had not done so. Crap.

"Where's your girl?"

Suzaku's focus returned to his opponent. "Lelouch? H-she's… around."

"Letting you do all the work? Typical." Suzaku wasn't sure if that was a goad or what. If his opponent was taunting him, he wasn't doing a very good job.

Maybe he just had women troubles at home.

Suzaku shook his head, clearing it of such thoughts. He couldn't afford to think of this boy as a person. He was an opponent, to be defeated and… and killed.

For Lelouch's sake.

The boy attacked again, two sweeping strikes that would have broken bones if they'd hit. He was a lot faster than Suzaku expected for his size, but Suzaku felt confident he was faster still. But it would only take one hit from that huge club or one false step setting off a landmine to disable him. And Suzaku couldn't dodge forever.

"I'm sorry." He recovered from the next attack and planted his feet, taking the stance that the instructor had spent a full ten minutes drilling into his head. His grip on the hilt shifted, and he could feel the balance and grace of the blade, feel where it wanted to move and how it wanted to strike.

The boy from Area 9 was strong, and fast, and determined. But he was also full of openings. _Right flank, left shoulder, left ankle, the bridge of his nose_ … so many targets to choose from.

Suzaku moved forward.

His sword wanted to parry the club, but Suzaku didn't think it would stand up to the force. Instead, he twisted his wrist, so that the blade moved just out of the way as the club drove forward and ducked under his opponent's guard.

It was both easier and harder to push his blade through another human than Suzaku had expected. There was more resistance than he'd anticipated, but less guilt. Just because this boy had the same bad luck that Suzaku had in having their names chosen, just because he was otherwise innocent of anything and Suzaku was killing him, didn't mean this wasn't necessary.

Still… "I'm so sorry."

The boy grunted, and looked down at him, his eyes unfocused and confused.

Suzaku altered his grip to pull the sword out, and a world of pain exploded behind his left shoulder, where Adriana's arrow had hit him, sudden and severe.

He fell to his knees, blacking out just as he heard a cannon firing and Lelouch's voice screaming his name.


	9. The Victors

_Suzaku_.

Lelouch covered his mouth, keeping himself from actually crying out, although his throat hurt as if he'd been screaming. All that escaped was a soft whimper as Suzaku collapsed beside the boy he'd killed.

Even from this distance, Lelouch could see the redness seeping through the back of Suzaku's shirt. There was more blood coming from the boy from Area 9, of course, but the blood coming from Suzaku's back was his own.

Why had that idiot lashed out, when he was already dead? Why couldn't he have just left Suzaku in peace? There was nothing to gain from that last attack, and…

And it could cost Lelouch everything.

Fucking _people_ and their irrationality and stupidity.

There were three more Tributes out there – Rolo and the two from Area 3. Lelouch couldn't just waltz out there and retrieve Suzaku without putting himself in danger, and that would help no one.

But he wanted to. Desperately.

Instead, he watched the trees, waiting for anything out of place – movement, a sudden flight of birds, a flash of colour. If there wasn't anything after a certain amount of time, he might be able to talk himself into doing something.

He waited for a minute, then two. It felt like hours.

Why didn't Suzaku get up? He was so strong, such a fighter, _surely_ he could recover from a single blow. But there had been so much blood – a ridiculous amount, actually, for a blunt blow. Had he already been injured there? Was that why…

Lelouch had the first aid kit – bandages, medical ointments, things that could help. That could have helped if Suzaku had just informed him of his own injuries before they left the caves, rather than focusing exclusively on Lelouch's. Lelouch felt like a fool for missing the signs, desperate to make it up to Suzaku. If only he could get to him…

The thought of Suzaku bleeding to death as he passively watched got Lelouch moving. If anyone had been watching, surely they would have made their move by now, taking Suzaku's weapons or food. The others were probably all still in hiding, far enough from the site not to be tempted into any rash or desperate moves.

Lelouch felt exposed, almost naked, as he moved as quickly as he could across the bare terrain. He collapsed beside Suzaku, his leg giving out just as he reached him, and tore off his shirt, looking over the damage.

It didn't look good – there was wide and deep bruising and blood rushed out of a deep, circular hole in his shoulder (the previous injury?). The joint itself looked wrong – dislocated, possibly broken. Lelouch swallowed hard and started with the bloodloss, wrapping a tight pressure bandage over the bleed and pressing down. Under him, Suzaku groaned and Lelouch felt a fluttering of relief. "Suzaku?"

"'louch? I…"

A dull thud from behind him made Lelouch jump. He turned just in time to watch the boy from Area 3 fall, blood spurting out of the knife in his neck, and the girl coming in close behind him, with a sharpened stick and a fiercely terrified expression. Lelouch ducked, trying to cover as much of Suzaku's body as he could, as he waited for the blow to land.

It never came. When Lelouch finally gathered the courage to lift his head, he saw Suzaku's uninjured arm gripping the stick, stopping it inches away from impaling Lelouch. Suzaku shifted under him and Lelouch rolled off, staring up at them as Suzaku faced down the girl. Her expression trembled and cracked and she dropped the stick, falling to her knees and sobbing. Suzaku tossed the stick away and looked down at her, helplessly lost.

He couldn't do it, Lelouch realized. He couldn't strike an unarmed sobbing girl. Not even at the cost of his own life.

And Lelouch loved him in that moment, utterly and completely, even as he crawled towards the girl and held her as she sobbed, looking up into Suzaku's eyes as he drew his dagger and slit her throat.

"Lelouch, _no_!" Suzaku fell to his knees, tearing the girl from Lelouch's arms just as two cannons went off. Lelouch reached for him, but stopped as he saw how bloody his hands were.

Suzaku's blood, that girl's blood – they mixed together, indistinguishable. But Lelouch refused to feel guilty for what he'd done. "She's dead, Suzaku. Leave her."

"How could you just…"

"Because it needed to be done, and you couldn't do it," Lelouch said, simply. "I'm not sorry."

Suzaku glared at him, but Lelouch wasn't paying attention anymore. Her death had been clear and simple, but her partner, the boy from Area 3… how had he died? Daggers didn't just appear out of nowhere and neither Lelouch nor Suzaku had thrown the blade that took him down. There was really only one other possible explanation.

Ah, there he was. On the other side of the clearing, walking towards them, as expressionless as ever.

"Rolo…"

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

Suzaku followed Lelouch's gaze to the young boy, out in the open, facing them. It was two against one, but both Lelouch and Suzaku were injured and had lost a lot of blood. Suzaku felt a little lightheaded, in fact, and he knew he could move either quickly or strongly, but not both.

Still, if Rolo was the dagger-thrower at least Suzaku might be able to block or dodge that. Although it would help if he could get his sword back…

Lelouch stood up, heavily favouring his left leg. "Rolo."

"Lelouch," the boy answered, emotionlessly. "Did you kill Luciano?"

"Yes."

A flicker of emotion, a small smile, crossed Rolo's face. "Good." He stopped. "I wasn't supposed to live this long."

"No, I gathered that. It's a pity, you have such a talent for death – if you'd been trained, you probably could have taken us all out."

"We're forbidden to train for the Hunger Games," Rolo said, with dry humour. "But thank you for the compliment."

Suzaku gave up on retrieving his sword and stood, drawing his dagger and partially shielding Lelouch. "What are you planning on doing now?"

Rolo turned to him. "You could be a bit more grateful, Suzaku Kururugi. I did just save your life."

"Why?"

Rolo shrugged. "Alright. I saved _Lelouch's_ life. You just happened to be there."

" _Why_?"

"Shut up, Suzaku!" Lelouch hissed. He turned to Rolo. "I never wanted this."

"I understand," Rolo said. "I didn't either, although… all my life, I was raised for one purpose. And I never really cared about that, never really knew anything different. I was supposed to die here, for people who never gave a damn about me. And… I don't know if you ever actually cared, but… at least you cared enough to fake it." He turned to Suzaku. "I could take you both. I have enough throwing daggers that at least one of them would hit one of you and then the other would fall easily. I just want you to know that."

"Rolo, no…" Lelouch gripped Suzaku's arm. "You don't have to–"

Rolo took a step to the left and the explosion knocked Suzaku and Lelouch off their feet. Lelouch shook off the impact and lurched forward, his eyes and mouth wide open in an expression of horror. Suzaku couldn't hear a thing, but he assumed Lelouch was screaming. He grabbed Lelouch with his good arm and pulled him back, not sure where the other landmines were, and pretty sure that Lelouch wasn't thinking about that at all. As his hearing returned, Suzaku could hear Lelouch screaming Rolo's name as he tried to fight Suzaku off.

Suzaku pressed him to the ground and pinned him down with his legs, freeing up his one good arm to stabilize the injured one. "Lelouch, stop!"

"Get off me!" Lelouch bucked under him, his hands scrabbling at the ground as he fought to free himself.

Suzaku didn't let him go. "He's dead, Lelouch. Leave him."

Lelouch froze under him, going suddenly still before flipping over onto his back, reaching up and slapping Suzaku across the face. "Shut. Up."

Before Suzaku could react, Clovis's voice boomed out over the arena. "Congratulations to the final two Tributes from Area 11! Your Area must be proud. Unfortunately, upon closer examination of the Hunger Games' rules, we are forced to revoke this year's change. There can only be one Victor. Good luck, and may the odds be _ever_ in your favour."

Suzaku looked down at Lelouch. "I… I can't…"

"Please let me up," Lelouch said calmly. Suzaku climbed off and Lelouch sat up. "C'mere, let's look at your arm." His fingers were gentle as he prodded at Suzaku's shoulder. "Here, if you can bend it, I'll fashion a sling."

"Lelouch, what are we going to do about the announcement?"

"Hush." Lelouch dug out a triangle bandage and tied it into a sling, resting the knot over the bandage he'd made over Suzaku's back. "Does that feel better?"

Suzaku nodded. "Much." He took Lelouch's hand with his good one. "I'll die for you. You know that."

Lelouch kissed him, soft and lingering. "Of course I do. But that's not going to happen."

Clovis's voice returned. "You have five minutes, Tributes. Then the gamemakers will make the choice for you."

Suzaku tried to remember if any of the final deaths had been arranged by the gamemakers before. Apart from the flood two years ago, he didn't think so.

"Lelouch…"

"Hush," Lelouch repeated, kissing him again, and Suzaku could _feel_ him thinking.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

Lelouch should have been able to predict this outcome. It was actually the most likely outcome, if he and Suzaku had survived. It hadn't even crossed his mind. He felt like an idiot for getting his hopes up, for letting himself see Suzaku as more than a tool.

Like Rolo had been.

No, Lelouch didn't want to think of that right now. The boy's death had hit him harder than he'd expected, considering how little they'd actually had to do with each other and how often Lelouch had plotted out scenarios that involved his death, occasionally even at Lelouch's own hand. But to have Rolo kill himself, so violently and so clearly for Lelouch's sake, asking nothing in return but the small gestures of affection that Lelouch had offered to him simply because they'd cost him nothing… He simply couldn't go from that to killing Suzaku. He couldn't do it.

But he'd rather not have Suzaku kill him either.

The problem was simple, even if the solution was not. At some point he'd become greedy. Given the chance to keep Suzaku, Lelouch couldn't bring himself to go back to being willing to let him go. He pulled Suzaku closer, holding him tightly.

…something was poking at him. And not the something he would have welcomed. He shifted awkwardly.

"Oh." Suzaku released him, fishing though his pocket. "Sorry, was this jabbing you?" He handed Lelouch a small tarnished pin, something that looked like a bird on fire.

"Suzaku," Suzaku said with a smile. "Kallen gave it to me."

Ah. "I remember hearing about him," Lelouch said, closing his hand over the pin. "It makes sense that it came from Kallen." And idea struck him, and he fished around in the first aid kid, taking out a roll of thin gauze wrapping. "Have you heard any of the legends of the red string of destiny?"

"The one that ties two lovers together?" Suzaku winced as Lelouch wound one end around the smallest finger on his injured left arm. "But, Lelouch… the gauze is white."

"It is now," Lelouch murmured, wrapping the gauze around Suzaku's wrist and then unrolling a short amount before fixing the Suzaku pin to it and wrapping his own wrist. "It's supposed to be tied around the smallest finger of the left hand – the one closest to the heart. It may stretch or tangle, but it never breaks." It was a little awkward, tying it to his own finger, but he managed. "Generally created by one of the myriad of gods that were once worshiped, there are a few ways for mortals to create one themselves." He tugged Suzaku down until they were kneeling, facing each other.

"Pick up your dagger."

It had fallen during their struggles. Suzaku frowned at Lelouch, but did as instructed. Lelouch kissed him as a reward, and drew his own dagger.

"There are ways to forge bonds in life. Favours offered and owed, feelings that grow between people, shared laughter and tears and secrets. But there is only one sure-fire way to forge a bond that lasts beyond life, into death and even into the next life."

"Lelouch…"

"It has to be done at the same time, Suzaku. I'll take your life at the same moment you take mine, and our blood will stain this thread a vivid red."

"What if the gamemakers…"

"If they kill you, I'll follow. I promise you this, Suzaku. Wait for me – you won't have to wait long."

Suzaku kissed him. "I promise the same." He managed to wrap the weak fingers of his left hand around Lelouch's. "Next time… I won't wait. I won't be shy or reluctant, I'll search you out and take you the first chance I get."

Lelouch laughed. "I'll hold you to that, Suzaku. If I don't find you first." He pressed his blade to Suzaku's neck, raising an eyebrow until Suzaku got the hint and mirrored his actions. "Remember; at the same time. If you don't do it, I'll have to do it myself."

Suzaku flushed a little. "I won't leave you alone, Lelouch."

"Thank you." They kissed again, and this time Lelouch pulled away. "On the count of three. One, two–"

"Stop!" Clovis's voice echoed and Lelouch's wrist slipped, slicing a thin line of red against Suzaku's throat. "Such dedication and love cannot go without answer. Ladies and Gentlemen, may I present to you the Victors of the seventy-fourth Hunger Games – Lelouch Lamperouge and Suzaku Kururugi!"

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

Four days.

The only reason Suzaku knew that was because he'd asked. It had been four days since the end of the Hunger Games, half as long as the game itself had taken, until he fully regained consciousness.

He hadn't seen Lelouch since. Lloyd and Cecile had visited him as he recovered from the shoulder surgery, and they assured him that Lelouch was alive and being treated as well. But Cecile had looked worried and Lloyd had been uncharacteristically quiet, his face pinched as if he'd just eaten something sour.

Something was wrong.

He woke up one night to a richly dressed man leaning over his bed and caressing his face with a look of utter satisfaction. "So lovely. Classically handsome and charming." He laughed. "And he blushes. Perfection. Tell me, Suzaku, can you get it up for girls or just effeminate boys?"

Suzaku was so confused. "Girls are… yeah, girls are fine."

"Excellent." He bent down and kissed Suzaku's lips, his hand sliding down to cup Suzaku's groin almost possessively, making Suzaku gasp. "You'll make a wonderful addition to my bevy of Victors."

He straightened up and left without another word, leaving Suzaku to wonder if that had actually happened, or if it was a dream brought on by the pain killers. Either way, he never asked any of his nurses. He had the feeling he wouldn't like their answers.

Exactly a week after their victory, both Lelouch and Suzaku were deemed fit to show off to the public again. From what Suzaku could remember, that was typical for Victors. He used to think that was because the gamemakers had needed time to get the final montage edited, but now he was beginning to expect that it was mostly to give the Victor, no matter how strong and vicious he or she had seemed during the games, a chance to recover.

And Suzaku knew that even with that week, he wasn't fully recovered. He knew what starvation felt like from the year after his father died. This didn't feel that severe, but it had the same flavour. He felt weak, bony, awkward. Breathing seemed like work, and he could feel his heart beating in his chest, even when he wasn't waking from nightmares or thinking about Lelouch.

Lloyd had assured him that the nightmares would eventually go away. That he'd stop seeing Euphy's face or Rolo exploding or even the determined rush of that large boy from Area 9. He wouldn't see Luciano's sneer or Lelouch's resentful anger or hear the screams of the girl from Area 12. Suzaku couldn't even remember what she looked like.

Suzaku wanted to trust that Lloyd was telling the truth, but there had been something in the way Lloyd had reassured him that made Suzaku think he was either lying or hiding a worse truth. He shied away from the idea that he and Lelouch would be mentors now, ferrying new children to their deaths.

Maybe the nightmares went away because there were so many new and horrible images to replace them with.

Cecile was more helpful. She brought news of Lelouch – how his surgery had gone, how they'd fixed his leg up and he was able to walk now, how he was asking after Suzaku as well. She returned Suzaku's pin to him, as it had ended up with Lelouch after the doctors had cut the gauze connecting them, with a note from Lelouch.

_If I get better before you do, you'll never hear the end of it, exercise nut._

He hadn't even bothered to sign it.

Those two items were Suzaku's most precious. He kept the letter in his pocket and the pin on his shirt as he was escorted to the stage where they'd host the final viewing of the games. Three hours until he could be alone with Lelouch.

He wondered if they'd even let him talk to Lelouch, or even get close to him. Maybe they'd keep them apart, film them and their reactions separately.

All of Suzaku's fears and worries disappeared as he and Lelouch stepped onto the stage, on opposite ends, at the same time.

Lelouch looked… wonderful. Clean and fresh and lovely, as feminine as ever in a light sundress and silver sandals. Their eyes met and Suzaku froze, too stunned to move.

Lelouch didn't have that problem. He pulled away from Cecile and launched himself at Suzaku, throwing himself in Suzaku's arms as if certain that Suzaku would catch him.

And Suzaku did.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

 _Did Suzaku know_?

Lelouch had spent the entire time he was conscious chatting up his nurses and even his doctors. From the hints they'd dropped, the narrative of his and Suzaku's enduing, all-powerful love was spreading like wildfire throughout Pendragon. The phoenix rising from the ashes ( _Suzaku_ ) was the new fashion symbol, and seeing how it worked well as a symbol of perseverance on multiple levels, it might actually become longer-running than a mere fad.

This was bad.

At least if the people had started to move on, Lelouch could hope that the-powers-that-be would overlook this minor incident (of complete defiance) in favour of maintaining the status quo. But if their actions had lasting repercussions, visual reminders of what they'd done…

This was very bad.

Lloyd hinted at how bad it might be when he came and visited, talking about how Lelouch's current nightmares wouldn't last forever, how everyone knew that he had Suzaku, no matter what. Lelouch agreed with him; the only plan of action was clear – to make everything look like the romantic angle was the _only_ angle. To paint himself and Suzaku as lovers, desperate enough to risk everything for that love, foolish enough to get away with it.

He did his best. When Cecile offered to carry a message, Lelouch had tried to make it appropriately sappy and romantic, but everything felt so forced, and the last thing he wanted to do was make Suzaku doubt his sincerity. So instead he'd written a terse message of encouragement. One would have to look fairly hard between the lines to find anything romantic in there but, given some of their interactions in the games, at least it sounded sincere.

So when Lelouch launched himself into Suzaku's arms, Suzaku never even hesitated before lifting him up and twirling him around like a dancer, before lowering him into an embrace and a kiss. Lelouch kissed him like he never wanted to stop, like he would die for this (lovely, powerful, merciful) boy. "You're too good for me."

"No such thing," Suzaku argued, pulling Lelouch in again. He shrugged Diethard off when he tried to part them, which made Lelouch laugh. Perfect, of course, Suzaku was perfect.

There wasn't a single part of Lelouch nor, likely, of the audience that doubted _his_ sincerity.

"Sorry to interrupt," Diethard said, sounding amusingly aggrieved. "But we do have a show to put on here."

"Sorry!" Suzaku gasped, finally tearing himself away from Lelouch. Lelouch gave a final nip to his bottom lip before shifting so that he was plastered against Suzaku's side rather than wrapped around him.

They were led to a small couch, with more than enough room for two, but Lelouch had the added problem of trying to hide a rather noticeable erection. It wasn't just Suzaku closeness and warmth causing it; the anxiety and adrenaline pumping through Lelouch at the thought of what _could_ happen if they messed up was just as responsible for his body's reaction. The irony was that _that_ might be enough to give the game away – C.C.'s dress was cleverly cut to make him look more like a girl than his lack of curves would indicate, but that would hardly detract from an obvious bulge between his legs.

In the end, Lelouch kicked off his sandals and curled up against Suzaku, hiding his overly large feet in the cushions of the couch and his erection in the bend of his body. Suzaku's arm wrapped around him and they probably looked like an adorable couple.

Lovely.

The show started with footage of the reaping, the opening ceremonies, the interviews. Lelouch rested his head in the crook of Suzaku's neck and kissed at his throat. "Don't react at anything you see with me and Luciano. If you have any problems, I'll answer you later, in private."

Suzaku's arm tightened around Lelouch's shoulder. "I know what you were doing; what you offered and why. I don't have any questions or problems with any of it. It was your own choice and I… I can respect that."

Lelouch made a soft, impressed sound and nestled in closer. Suzaku never seemed to stop surprising him. "You really are too good for me."

Suzaku turned and kissed him. "Don't ever say that again. You're perfect. And I'm never letting you go."

"Alright." Lelouch kissed him back. "Then you're too good, in general. I will consider it my mission in life to catalogue in just how many ways you are too good."

"The best thing I ever did," Suzaku said softly, "was fall in love with you."

Diethard cleared his throat. "The show?"

Lelouch reluctantly pulled away and turned to watch.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

Three whole hours of this? Suzaku wasn't sure he could stand it. The bloody melee at the start of the games made him want to turn away, even though the focus was on Lelouch, high above it all atop the cornucopia. He watched their group come together – Luciano and Adriana bloodstained and eager, Rolo and Lelouch untouched and far less enthused. They worked well together, which irritated Suzaku to no end, but it was watching Luciano watching Lelouch on screen – the combination of proprietary delight and hungry greed that crossed his face, the leers and the grins and the occasional caresses.

And the way Lelouch tolerated them all, even seeming to bask in them.

He'd thought he'd known what Lelouch had done, but watching it unfold…

Lelouch slipped his hand into Suzaku's, tangling their fingers together. Suzaku exhaled, letting go of his jealous resentment. Lelouch might have played the role Luciano wanted from him, but he was Suzaku's now, willingly and without the threat of death hanging over his head.

The landmines caused an appreciative murmur through the audience. It was a clever trick, and unexpected from a Tribute from Area 11. Area 3, maybe. Lelouch's grip tightened, and Suzaku remembered Rolo and squeezed back. If there was anything Lelouch regretted about the games, it was those mines.

The moment under the tree between Luciano and Lelouch went only as far as Luciano pushing Lelouch down and then panned up to Suzaku, clearly awake above them. Lelouch laughed softly against Suzaku's neck and Suzaku scowled. "It was mortifying."

"Hush, there's more."

But the next scene was Luciano curled around Lelouch, sleeping while Lelouch's eyes were open as if trying to stare through the canvas of the tent, at something out there…

Quick cut to Suzaku, moving as quickly and easily through the forest as a wolf going in for the kill, crashing through the brush and grabbing Euphy's wrist. The audience laughed at Suzaku's rather blunt introduction and offer of alliance. Lelouch gently nuzzled his neck. "Tell me about her, sometime."

"Definitely."

They stayed on Suzaku and Euphy for a while, before moving on to Lelouch and Rolo and the strange hug. Suzaku kissed Lelouch's forehead. "Tell me about him, sometime."

Lelouch sighed. "Not much to tell."

The race from the fire, Suzaku's clever gathering, Lelouch's mine setting, and then a scream of pain. The screen split between Lelouch and Suzaku's almost identical looks of horror and Lelouch's desperate "Euphy!" rang out in the silent arena.

Suzaku watched Lelouch kneel, shaking as he said goodbye to Euphy, watched himself crashing through the bush, and confront them, watched Lelouch's grieving expression harden into determination.

Watched Lelouch physically block Luciano's line of attack and order Suzaku to run, watched how the group dissolved after that – Rolo killing Adriana, Luciano lashing out at Lelouch, Lelouch's panicked flight until he collapsed.

Then the cave. Their first, rather harsh interactions. The river, where Suzaku make Lelouch scream and cling to him as he worked on his wound, only got a brief moment, with Lelouch moaning and Suzaku kissing and soothing him. Suzaku flushed – it looked a _lot_ more suggestive than it actually had been.

But the next scene showed Lelouch walking (limping, really) which was an improvement. Suzaku felt Lelouch's lips turn up and realized what this was leading up to. Watching Lelouch now, Suzaku didn't understand how Luciano could have fallen for it. Beneath the weak, servile exterior, was a fury and a disgust that came through even on video. Lelouch's cold satisfaction didn't even come as a surprise to Suzaku. Their passionate make-out session and Lelouch's "gift" of Luciano's sword marked a distinct change in tone between them.

From then on they were a team, and there was a sense of destiny, as if they were meant to win. Even when Rolo took himself out, it was presented more as if he was bowing to fate than making a personal sacrifice.

And then Clovis's announcement that there could be only one Victor. Suzaku's terror and confusion, Lelouch's quiet concentration as he recited old, almost forgotten legends while binding them together. Then the daggers. Suzaku was surprised at his expression. He looked… at peace.

It ended with the announcement of their victory, both of them dropping their daggers, and the image of them being lifted up to the hovercraft, still tied together, lips locked in a passionate kiss.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

Diethard sighed. "Well, that was amazing. Only eight days, but they were action-packed and full of emotion, especially for you two!" He turned to Lelouch. "And you'd started out these games claiming you had Zero chances of winning."

Lelouch flushed. "I have to say, I'm rather pleased to be proven wrong." There was a smattering of laughter at that. "But I do stand by it – alone, or even with Luciano, I had Zero chance of survival out there. Without Suzaku, I never would have made it."

"And not just Suzaku and Luciano, young Rolo seemed to be quite taken with you as well."

Lelouch schooled his face to hide the anger and resentment he felt at that. "He was a sweet boy, so full of the potential for love. It's a pity he never got to express that potential."

Diethard nodded and turned to Suzaku. "And you, Suzaku. I don't think there's any mystery about your score of 11 now! That was some amazing swordsmanship!"

"Um… thanks," Suzaku said, clearly fishing for something else to say and coming up empty.

Lelouch jumped in. "It was incredible, wasn't it?" He kissed Suzaku's cheek. "I've never seen you move like that."

"It… it was the sword, mostly," Suzaku explained. "It's balanced in a certain way, so it seems to know what it's doing. You just pretty much have to follow what it wants."

Diethard laughed, along with a good portion of the audience. "It if were that simple, we'd all be masters! I'm fairly sure your pretty little partner wouldn't find it so simple."

"I don't know if I could even lift the thing," Lelouch admitted with a cheerful shrug, winning more laughter. This was going… well.

"Now, Lelouch we know that you'd had your eye on Suzaku since before the games. Can you tell us about that?"

Lelouch bit his lower lip. "I… when we were younger I hated him." He blushed. "He just seemed like this strong, confident boy, and I was… not. I don't think we ever even spoke, but I always noticed him and I… resented that. That a simple boy could capture so much of my attention, despite myself. But as I grew up, I had to admit to myself that it wasn't hatred, it was… envy. Of Suzaku, of the people around Suzaku… I wanted him so badly, and I knew I could never have him, and I never even managed to get up the courage to confront him."

"No," Suzaku interrupted. "You did. When we were ten." He frowned. "No, you would have been eleven if it was spring…"

Lelouch frowned. He vaguely remembered… "In your old house…"

"You told me I was going to die."

Lelouch laughed. "I remember that! You were, you know."

"I know." Suzaku brought Lelouch's hand up to his lips. "You probably saved my life that day."

"Pure selfishness on my part," Lelouch murmured, moving closer. "I wanted you to continue to capture my attention."

Diethard cleared his throat before they managed to do anything more than brush their lips together. Suzaku jumped a little and Lelouch just sighed.

"So you both hid your true feelings from each other," Diethard said. "Given your closeness, however, what made you choose to ally with Luciano, Lelouch?"

Lelouch frowned. "Originally, Suzaku and I were going to team up. But then, when I realized that neither of us could watch the other die for them, I knew it wouldn't work. Luciano was the biggest threat, and I felt that if I at least neutralized him, Suzaku would have a better chance."

Diethard laughed. "Dropping half a mountain on him was certainly an effective neutralization! So it was all a plot from the beginning?"

Lelouch nodded. "Luciano and I had an understanding. We never felt anything beyond that for each other. What I did… it was a betrayal, and I know that. But I'd do it again."

"But not to Suzaku."

Lelouch smiled. "I would not call what Suzaku and I have a mere 'understanding'."

"No indeed. Are you planning on getting married?"

Lelouch froze. The question hadn't even occurred to him. The only thoughts he'd ever had of Suzaku and marriage involved Nunnally, rather than him.

Suzaku slid his hand down Lelouch's arm, around his waist. "It's been such a whirlwind since the games, we haven't even talked about it. I want to say 'yes', but there are factors we need to consider…"

"Of course! Pardon me, I was just hoping to see a proposal on film."

Lelouch leaned up and kissed Suzaku, making sure the angle looked good for the cameras. "I'm sorry. But we're very private people."


	10. The End

_Almost done_.

The show, the interview (which, Suzaku admitted to himself, Lelouch had mostly carried), and now the crowning of the Victors. This last bit should be easy enough; all they had to do was stand still and let the Emperor place circlets on their heads.

Then they could go home.

The Royal fanfare played and everyone rose, as the Emperor and his eldest son Prince Schneizel, the Prime Minister, walked on stage, each carrying identical Victor's crowns. As the anthem rang out through the dome, Prince Schneizel placed Suzaku's crown on his head, smiling down at him beatifically, the perfect picture of a disinterested politician. Suzaku smiled back, tentatively, and turned to Lelouch, wanting to admire the crown on his head.

Lelouch was trembling, almost unnoticeably. For a moment, Suzaku thought it was in fear, intimidation from being in front of the Emperor himself. Lelouch's expression held no hints at to the source of his shivers, remaining as blank and stoic as Suzaku had ever seen it. But when Suzaku looked into his eyes, he nearly gasped aloud at the burning rage they held, smouldering and practically glowing in the shadow of the Emperor's form.

"You killed Euphy."

The Emperor smiled. "No. That was the boy you let fuck you." Suzaku wasn't sure which was more shocking – hearing Lelouch accuse the Emperor or hearing the Emperor casually use the word 'fuck'.

Lelouch, if he was shocked at all, hid it well. "Her name was pulled in the same year Nunnally's was. You either killed Euphy or you were aiming for Nunnally. Which is it?"

"Do you think I need to justify myself to you, boy? If I wanted your sister dead, she would be. And if I decide that I want her dead in the future, she _will_ be."

Lelouch audibly and visually bit back whatever he was going to retort with, making only a small sound of impotent protest, but his trembling had turned to an almost visible shaking. Suzaku grabbed his hand, hoping to calm him without anyone noticing.

Everyone noticed. The Emperor turned to him. "And now you're the one who wants to fuck my son, are you, Eleven?"

…what? His _son_?

"Leave him alone." Lelouch sounded dull and defeated, all the fire instantly drained out of him the moment the Emperor's attention turned to Suzaku. "He doesn't have anything to do with this. I'm… I've just been using him this whole time."

"If you're using him, then you've pulled him into this, Lelouch." The Emperor rolled Lelouch's name on his tongue like he was savouring it. Lelouch shuddered once, hard, and then stopped shaking.

"Father, the Anthem is ending," Schneizel said mildly, turning his bland smile on Lelouch, his expression as beatifically benign as a saint. "We'll speak another time, Lelouch. I'll be overseeing next year's Hunger Games, and I look forward to seeing the kind of Tribute you'll mentor." _What about Clovis_? Suzaku wondered, but didn't ask, "I eagerly anticipate further conversation with you then."

Lelouch looked a little spooked, and a little taken aback. He managed a quick nod and Schneizel and the Emperor, apparently satisfied with that, turned around. "Thus ends the Seventy-fourth Hunger Games!" tThe Emperor bellowed. The cheering that followed was deafening. Lelouch's grip on Suzaku's hand shifted and he laced their fingers together and leaned slightly against Suzaku's shoulder.

"Thank you."

Suzaku smiled. He hadn't really done anything other than offer his support, but that was apparently enough for Lelouch to spontaneously offer thanks. It made Suzaku feel genuinely valued. "You're welcome." The smile slipped off his face as he remembered what the Emperor had said. "What did he mean 'my son'?"

"Nothing. He's just… nothing," Lelouch said, pulling away, his expression still that mask of bright happiness, but his eyes tight and angry. "Don't worry about it."

Suzaku wanted to ask again, but the cheering died down and the lights dimmed as the show ended. Lelouch pulled away from him, tearing the crown off his head and tossing it aside as he stormed off the stage. Lloyd came up beside Suzaku and tsked, picking it up. "And here I thought he was the smart one."

"Lloyd, what…"

Lloyd's grin shone in the dim light. "Well, it's all relative, I suppose! Come on, back to your rooms. We have a train to catch first thing tomorrow morning."

Of course. Pendragon wanted them gone as soon as possible.

When they got back to their rooms (their old ones, not the ones they'd recuperated in, the ones they'd stayed in before the games, and Suzaku hadn't expected to see them ever again) Suzaku hesitated outside Lelouch's door. It was closed, possibly even locked, and Suzaku wasn't sure Lelouch would even want to see him. He'd pulled away and stormed off the moments the cameras were off…

Before he could knock the door opened and Lelouch stood there, wearing nothing but a loose robe and a gleam in his eye. "Suzaku."

"Lelouch, I… look, I'm sor–" Lelouch grabbed him by the front of his shirt and pulled him into the room, slamming the door behind them. "Wh-what are…" He couldn't get anything else out because Lelouch's tongue was in the way and his hands were undoing Suzaku's pants and that robe was _really_ loose, Suzaku could push it over Lelouch's shoulder and taste the skin there…

"There's no one watching. Fuck me now."

Suzaku swallowed hard. "Yes."

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

He was such an idiot.

He'd lost his temper, in front of the _Emperor_ and Schneizel of all people! The act of defiance hadn't been enough for him, no, he had to mouth off to the one man who could have made it all go away.

Or make every fear in Lelouch's imagination come true. And then some.

Why hadn't he been able to hold back? He'd swallowed his pride countless times over the past two weeks, letting Luciano do whatever he wanted, following Adriana's orders, fulfilling Rolo's wishes. Why couldn't he have done it one last time and simply kept his mouth shut as his father placed a crown on his head, touching him for the first time in Lelouch's memory.

Lelouch wished he could just blame it on the gentle caress he'd felt before the Emperor had removed his hand, as if the man had any right to touch him with a father's grace.

No. He was the Emperor. He had whatever rights he wanted.

Lelouch was simply an idiot.

And he'd dragged Suzaku into this mess with him. He wanted to explain, to apologize, to kneel and beg Suzaku's forgiveness. But he couldn't bear it if Suzaku knew everything – about the Emperor and Schneizel, and Euphy and Cornelia, and Clovis…

Schneizel had said that he would be overseeing next year's games. Did that mean that Clovis was being punished for the outcome of this year's?

Lelouch had never even met Clovis, and he'd already ruined his life. Just as Euphy had died before he could bring himself to speak to her. And then there was Cornelia, who waited in Area 1 not for her sister, but for a body in a coffin… Almost half of his unknown family, worse off because of Lelouch.

And yet, as if to balance things out, there was Suzaku.

Beautiful, patient, forgiving Suzaku. Whose gentle hands and hot kisses were currently driving Lelouch crazy. If he could get Suzaku out of this, then maybe it was all worth it. Saving Nunnally, binding Suzaku to him, bringing them together as a family… Lelouch could create a little world with everything he wanted and just hide there. Forever.

His robe and Suzaku's pants hit the floor at the same time. Lelouch was still struggling with Suzaku's shirt when Suzaku physically picked him up and carried him over to the bed in a princess carry, laying him down gently before moving back and just… _looking_ at him.

Lelouch flushed. He'd never before seen anything like the expression on Suzaku's face – a combination of hunger and disbelief and a dark joy. "D-don't just look." The heat in Suzaku's eyes was affecting him more than he'd expected. He felt oddly exposed, even a little embarrassed. "I… I showered and prepared myself before you got here. I'm ready for you."

"Are you?" Suzaku pulled his shirt off and Lelouch would have sworn his heart stopped in that moment. Thinner than before, but still perfect, lithe and strong and every muscle perfectly defined. Suzaku crawled on the bed, between Lelouch's legs, and Lelouch opened and reached for him, suddenly desperate.

Suzaku stopped just out of reach. "Lelouch… you don't have to do this."

"I _want_ to–"

"This won't gain you anything. Everything I have to give you is yours already. You won't win anything more from me by letting me fuck you."

Suzaku looked serious. Lelouch fell back, draping an arm over his face and laughed. "I deserve that, I suppose."

"Lelouch…"

"No, I know what I am. And it's good that you know what you're taking to your bed."

"…this is _your_ bed."

"That's not what I…" Lelouch trailed off, sighing. He pushed himself up, until he was facing Suzaku. "I'd understand if you don't want this, Suzaku. I'm… not the same person I was before the games, and we're not in a cave or fighting for our lives. There are dozens of boys or girls you could have, and I–" This time Suzaku cut _him_ off with a kiss, but Lelouch pulled away, determined to finish. "I'm a vile, cold, proud person, but if it's come to this, then so be it." He caressed Suzaku's cheek, looking him in the eyes. "I will beg if I must. Just give me this one night, Suzaku. Please."

Suzaku shook his head, looking oddly sad and very gentle. "That's exactly what I can't…" He kissed Lelouch again. "Alright. I'll give you this night. But I want something in return."

Lelouch nodded and leaned back against the pillows as Suzaku pressed him down. "Anything."

"I want the rest of your nights. And your days, too."

Lelouch closed his eyes as Suzaku kissed him and a stunned relief washed over him. "Yes." He hooked one of his legs over Suzaku's hip and pulled him closer. "That's… yes, Suzaku. Yes."

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

Suzaku pushed inside.

He was a little shocked at how easy it was, and then how hot and tight and _good_ it felt. Lelouch arched and gasped under him, eyes wide, hands pulling Suzaku closer.

Beautiful. How could Lelouch have ever doubted that he was wanted, loved? He'd seduced Suzaku almost entirely by accident, but that wasn't what was between them now. After the ordeal they'd been through, the memories they shared, the bonds they'd forged…

"I love you."

Lelouch laughed, but it sounded like a sob. "Luciano never took me like this; face-to-face. I don't think he wanted to see my expressions when he fucked me."

"I do."

"I know." Lelouch managed to prop himself up enough to cup Suzaku's face and kiss him. "I know, Suzaku… You're different. Special." He kissed Suzaku again. "Move for me, please."

Suzaku gave a shallow thrust and Lelouch fell back, one hand falling to clutch at the bedsheets by his head, the other gripping Suzaku's shoulder fiercely. " _Yesss…_ " Suzaku thrust again and again, rewarded by the soft hitches of Lelouch's breath, the way his body moved under and with Suzaku's, the gentle flutter of his eyelashes and the steady gaze of his eyes under those lashes.

"You're so beautiful."

Lelouch smiled. "You should – _oh_ – see yourself. Like a young god. My Suzaku."

"Yes. Yours. Always." Suzaku gripped Lelouch's hip with his hand, thrusting harder, fully aware that while his lips were saying "yours", his body was saying "mine". Lelouch cried out for more, clearly fine with this as his fingers dug into Suzaku's shoulder and his hips canted up into every thrust. It was just so _easy_.

When Lelouch came, Suzaku's name on his lips, his body tightening around Suzaku in every way, Suzaku couldn't believe how good it was – how good Lelouch looked, how good he felt – and how right. He followed soon after, buried deep inside Lelouch, before collapsing beside him, feeling as weak as he had after several pints of bloodloss.

Lelouch sighed and ran his fingers through Suzaku's hair. "Only you… I've only ever come with you, Suzaku."

"…Luciano?"

Lelouch snorted. "You're joking. Neither of us wanted that." He kissed the side of Suzaku's head. "No, he was the first to fuck me, but you will always be my first lover."

"I don't really care about that," Suzaku said, smiling at Lelouch's irritated glare at Suzaku's dismissive tone. "The important thing is that I'm your last."

"Only?"

Suzaku smiled. "Deal."

They kissed again, both of them shifting until they were settled comfortably against each other. Lelouch's breathing evened out and Suzaku figured he was actually going to sleep. This was probably when his guard was the lowest. He had to take his chance now.

"Will you tell me?"

"Hmm?" Lelouch asked.

"About the Emperor and Schneizel and Euphy."

Lelouch buried his face in the pillow. "No." His voice was muffled, almost indistinguishable. "Don' ask again."

Suzaku kissed his neck. "Please?" Lelouch shook his head. "Lelouch…" Suzaku played his strongest card. "Will this affect Nunnally?"

 _That_ woke Lelouch up, his eyes widening as his head lifted with a start. "Shit."

"Shh, there's nothing you can do now…" Suzaku soothed. "But I want to help. Let me?" Lelouch shook his head, looking oddly lost. It was so different from his typical, confident self. Suzaku wanted to hold him and promise him that everything would be all right.

He settled for just holding him. The lies, he'd avoid. "Please just tell me, Lelouch. Let me protect you and Nunnally and your mother."

"Our family…" Lelouch said, and the implications of that sent a shot of pure warmth through Suzaku. "Alright. But you mustn't do anything except on my command, Suzaku. You have to promise to follow me lead, to let things that you might find intolerable to happen, to prevent worse things. We cannot be equals in this – I'll not lose you to _him_."

"Yes, I promise," Suzaku said quickly, the words falling easily and sincerely from his lips. He had more faith in Lelouch than was probably healthy, but he didn't care. "Tell me, please. I don't want to be kept out of your life."

Lelouch relaxed in his arms and nodded. "I don't know if I can explain everything. I don't think I even _know_ everything. But I'll try to tell you as much as I know."

Suzaku kissed Lelouch's forehead and tightened his hold.

Lelouch took a deep breath and started speaking.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

He didn't hold anything back. He started with his father – Charles zi Britannia, the Emperor of Britannia. The man with more wives than he had Areas. Marianne had been his chosen bride from Area 11, and one of the few that he revisited. Lelouch even had some childhood memories of him – larger than life, something that could be blamed on a child's perspective, were it not for the fact that Lelouch had just seen him hours ago and he still seemed larger than life.

That didn't stop Lelouch from resenting the hell out of him, for leaving his mother alone, for abandoning them, for having dozens of other children with over a dozen other women. He made sure they didn't starve, at least, but he never visited or offered them any comforts.

He was planning something. Lelouch was sure of that, if nothing else. Besides himself and Nunnally, Lelouch knew of eight other children, and his mother had assured him that there were nine others, at least, that she had never been told about. In Pendragon, Clovis and Schneizel, each from one of Charles's mistresses, and two true-born children, Odysseus and Guinevere. From the Areas, Euphy and Cornelia from Area 1, and boy twins in Area 6. The other nine children were scattered throught the remaining Areas, and probably comprised a good chunk of the Victors from the Hunger Games, although Lelouch wasn't sure which ones were related to him and which Areas held half-siblings who were just too young to be Tributes. The only thing he was sure of was that there were at least one per Area, plus four in Pendragon itself.

The only Area he was missing, of course, was the lost Area. Area 0, so named because thirteen was considered an unlucky number when the Areas were created, and superstition overcame common sense. The reason Charles, who was in his late sixties, had no children from that Area was that it had been destroyed seventy-four years ago. Well, seventy-four years and two weeks. The Hunger Games had been started on the anniversary of Area 0's destruction, something remote enough that there was no one Lelouch had ever met who had been alive at the same time Area 0 had been in existence, but something that fed into the everyday life of every single Britannian alive.

Lelouch had a theory that his father was planting his children in every Area to stop a rebellion like the one that had led to Area 0's fall and the Hunger Games. If so, Lelouch didn't think he was as clever as he thought he was – if there had been any hint of rebellion in Area 11, Lelouch would have signed up as soon as couldn't speak for the rest of his siblings, especially those siblings who lived in Pendragon, but he doubted they were the passive types either. Especially if they had something to prove – fighting for survival in the Areas or status in Pendragon.

But he didn't tell Suzaku any of that. Instead, he focused on his siblings.

Clovis, he knew a little about. He'd been head gamemaker for a few years, and his games always had a special artistic flare. This game had the romantic angle that Lelouch was willing to bet Clovis had been waiting for ever since he'd taken over the game. He was bright and flamboyant and probably smarter than he seemed. Other than that, however, Lelouch knew nothing of him.

Schneizel, he knew just as little about, but still more than Suzaku would have. As Milly's friend, Lelouch had access to more news and non-propaganda media than most people in the Areas. The reality didn't see, that far off the propaganda though; Schneizel was cool but personable, efficient and dedicated and just overall the perfect public servant. Lelouch admired him in a very impersonal way.

About Guinevere and Odysseus, he knew only the propaganda. The Emperor's only official children (although both were now adults), they were trotted out for every PSA and photo op. Other then that, they were strangers.

Euphy and Cornelia were a little different. Lelouch talked about Cornelia's victory and how his mother had told him that she was Lelouch's elder sister. She was vicious and brutal, but there must be something redeeming about her because Euphy adored her.

"Euphy's… Euphy _was_ your little sister?"

Lelouch nodded. "Which is why… her name and Nunnally's name should never have been picked together!"

"The Tribute selection is arbitrary, Lelouch. It's pure chance."

Lelouch snorted. "Do you really believe that? Apparently, of the six children of Charles zi Britannia that I know of who live in the Areas, four have been chosen for the games, and five can't be chosen as Tributes again." Nunnally's name had been chosen, and Lelouch and Cornelia and one of the twins from Area 8 were Victors. And Euphy, of course, was dead. "Those odd are more than just _not in our favour_ , Suzaku."

"But… why?"

"Because we win." Lelouch pulled away. "Except that Nunnally couldn't. Even if she'd been able-bodied, she was too gentle. Euphy was gentle too, but she was clever. She could have waited everyone out if…"

"…if she hadn't ended up with me."

Lelouch frowned. That sounded like… "You don't blame yourself, do you Suzaku?" Suzaku looked away. Lelouch grabbed his chin and forced Suzaku to face him. "It's not your fault. It was never…" He kissed Suzaku's lips. "You are utterly blameless in this. My father is partially to blame, I am partially to blame, and Luciano is dead, so there's justice there. But not you. _Never_ you."

Suzaku tried to argue, but Lelouch refused to let him, refused to talk or let him talk until they fell asleep, using some very creative and effective measures of stopping Suzaku's words until then.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

The next morning was surprisingly chaotic, considering they weren't bringing anything back other than the clothes they were wearing (Lelouch was in a simple dress again, blue this time) and Suzaku's pin.

Cecile had walked in on them (fortunately while they weren't doing anything but lying naked, wrapped around each other and barely covered by the bedsheets) and that had been the start of the chaos. Despite the sex and the cuddling and the prospect of returning home, Lelouch had woken in a foul mood and Suzaku apologized for him while trying to cover them up. It hadn't exactly worked, and Cecile had retreated from the room with Suzaku in mid-apology.

Then Lelouch, taking his mood out on Suzaku, had kicked him out, still naked and somewhat sticky, into a fourtunately empty hallway.

He was more composed at breakfast, smiling and chatting casually with Lloyd, getting up to give Suzaku a kiss when he entered. Suzaku wondered if Lelouch's mask was as obvious to everyone else as it was to him. Either way, he followed Lelouch's lead, acting as if the conversation last night and the almost-fight that morning hadn't happened. After breakfast, they made their way to the train, waving at fans and cameras, occasionally kissing, smiling and smiling and smiling…

Suzaku's jaw ached.

They didn't get a break on the train either, smiling and waving at all the spectators who came to send them off, just as they had on the way into Pendragon, only this time with many more people waving back. Some of them were even wearing t-shirts that said "Team 11" on them. Suzaku didn't get it; it seemed kind of like they'd missed the whole point of the Hunger Games, and Lelouch refused to stop smiling and waving long enough to explain.

The rest of the train ride was spent eating and watching the interviews that had been done in Area 11 before and during the games. It was weird, seeing Lelouch's mother and Nunnally wishing the best for both him and Lelouch, even back when "both" would have been impossible. Milly and her father kept their comments impressively neutral and politic, but it was clear they were both hoping for Lelouch. Even Kallen had been cornered for an interview, although they'd only gotten a few terse words from her, about how Suzaku would surprise them all.

Lelouch leaned against Suzaku during Kallen's brief but fierce interview. "Is this going to be a problem?"

"Is what going to be a problem?" Suzaku asked, confused. Was Lelouch upset that she hadn't said anything about him? She barely knew him…

Lelouch just chuckled and shook his head, changing the leaning to cuddling. "Never mind."

That had clearly been the right answer, because Lelouch snuck into Suzaku's room that night and sucked him off before riding his cock until they both came. The train's ride was smooth enough that it almost felt like they weren't moving, but Suzaku could have sworn he felt the faint vibrations and the way they skimmed over the earth resonating through his body as Lelouch clenched around him and arched his back, coming with a low cry and wringing Suzaku's orgasm from him with small, sharp thrusts, his tight ass spasming around Suzaku's cock until they were both done.

Lelouch was in an even better mood the morning after, when Lloyd woke them up to tell them they were pulling into the station in a few hours, and this was their last chance at a capitol breakfast. Not even the prospect of hot chocolate and sweet pastries was enough to stop Lelouch from getting Suzaku off one last time, with his hand, before they dressed and grabbed some food, hurried but happy, giggling around mouthfulls of croissant.

As the train slowed down, they could hear the cheering. Suzaku poked his head out the window and grinned at the huge turnout at the station. It seemed like almost all of Area 11 had come to welcome them home. The cameras were still rolling as he and Lelouch walked out, arms around each other, once again smiling and waving, although this time the smiles felt bigger and more natural.

Lelouch's mother was the first to greet them, barrelling past even the mayor to throw her arms around them both, kissing first Lelouch, then Suzaku on the cheek.

"Welcome back!" She cried and the audience when crazy. Under their cheers and applause, she leaned into Suzaku. "I think we need to have a little _chat_."

Suzaku swallowed hard. That was _clearly_ a threat.

Then she released him to fuss over Lelouch, the mayor and Milly joining her and taking most of the attention of the crowd and cameras away from Suzaku. He backed out of the way, towards a less crowded part of the platform, closer to where Kallen was standing. She looked up at him, her expression a mixture of relieved and reluctant for some reason. Suzaku smiled, holding out the pin to her.

"I think it actually saved our lives."

Kallen hesitated, then took it back. "You know where it is if you need it again."

"Yeah." Suzaku pulled her in for a hug, laughing at the way she stiffened awkwardly. "Thanks, Kallen."

Then he was swept away, back into Lelouch's arms. There was an awkward moment as Suzaku flushed and tried to pull away, not sure if being pressed into Lelouch was one of those things Lelouch was likely to take exception to (there seemed to be a lot of things that Lelouch found offensive). But instead of scowling or snapping, Lelouch reached out and touched his cheek, as if he still couldn't believe that Suzaku was actually real.

"Welcome home," Suzaku said.

Lelouch smiled and kissed him like he never wanted to stop, to the unending cheers of the crowd.

The perfect ending.


End file.
